Superior Schools giving snacks to prevent kids from going hungry

The Superior YMCA throughout the month of August, raised food for Superior schools giving kids snacks during the school day. The goal is to help children from low-income households, where families are struggling wit getting food on the table.

Hannah Bourgalt, the Superior YMCA marketing and event coordinator, said the gargantuan amount of food donated will help students throughout the school year.

“Last year, we raised 230 pounds of snacks for local schools,” Bourgalt said. “This year we beat our goal and raised 328 pounds of snacks for school. That was pretty exciting, and on Tuesday, we drove around and dropped them off at the various elementary schools in Superior. Everyone seemed super grateful and excited to have some snacks for the students.”

The Superior YMCA isn’t the only organization in the Twin Ports Area helping Superior Students with providing food. Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank, supports 40 area food shelves, along with an estimated 6,300 people in the region per month.

Shaye Moris, the executive director, said their Backpack program, provides support throughout the year on weekends to kids that are in need.

 “In all eight counties of our service region around Lake Superior, we have a higher rate of food insecurity than the state average is in both Minnesota and Wisconsin,” Moris said. “In Wisconsin, it’s particularly high amongst children in our region. When it comes to children we want healthy nutrition items, think of low sodium foods, foods with a low amount of sugar. Whether it’s applesauce or soup, just things that you would enjoy that are healthy.”

Lori Thompson, a counselor at Cooper Elementary, said the Superior Schools are grateful for the help from local community organizations.

“Now we have a lot of snacks for our students. We try to give those out to kids who don’t necessarily have snacks every day,” Thompson said. “That is a huge deal for us. Usually teachers are paying for that out of their pockets or we have to try to get other parents to bring it in. So it’s just it’s an amazing way to start the year.”

Thompson also said parents struggling to provide food for their kids can reach out to the main office to ensure their children won’t go hungry. “There are always kids in every grade level who a lot of them won’t even ask for the snack because they don’t want to put themselves out there like that,” Thompson said.

“But our teachers are really great about just noticing who needs one and just quietly offering them some, or they’ll just come into my office and just ask without trying to draw attention to themselves and it’s really great that they know that they have these resources to just come ask rather than just sit there and have nothing.”

For more information about the Superior YMCA you can look here. Also for more information about the Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank’s Hunger Action Month you can look here. Although for more stories about Superior Schools you can read more here.