ICA offers two programs to our local schools: Snack Bins and Weekend Bags. Snack Bins consist of about 200 healthy snacks that teachers, social workers, and counselors can provide to kids experiencing food insecurity. Sometimes these snacks serve as breakfast, other times they are used mid-morning or after school. These snacks feed hungry kids during the school day, so that they are ready to learn and grow.
Our Weekend Bags consist of an assortment of non-perishable food; enough to feed one child over the weekend. School staff supply these bags to kids when they know they don’t have enough food at home. The bags are designed to be easy to slip into a backpack and food that a child can prepare themselves.
These programs fill a vital need for the kids who use them. We partner with all schools in the Minnetonka and Hopkins districts. Staff are able to come in as often as they need to restock their supply.
Over the last two years, we have been working to adapt these programs to make them more useful and user-friendly for busy school staff. We’ve audited our numbers, changed the snacks to better reflect what schools need, and adjusted the items included to make them healthier. We've also been doing outreach to ensure that all schools know about and use these programs.
Due to an increasing need and demand for these programs, we are in need of additional support. We’ve collected a list of our most-needed items so that we can restock the bins and pack more bags to help our students finish the year strong. Please consider organizing a “snack food drive” or “kid’s food drive” at your workplace or congregation. Monetary donations are also important as we can use our buying power to get great prices on the foods we most need.
To learn more about the cost of these programs and what it would look like to sponsor a weekend, a month, or year, please contact Patti Sinykin at patti@icafoodshelf.org.
Current Needs for ICA School Programs*
Jelly or jam
Granola bars
Individually packaged healthy snacks (baked chips, pretzels, crackers, goldfish, etc.)
Fruit cups
Applesauce cups/pouches
Graham crackers
Fruit snacks/roll ups
Oatmeal packets
Canned soup (chicken noodle, tomato, etc.)
Canned fruit (in its own juice)
All items should be nut-free.