Last year, my daughter entered kindergarten in Denver Public Schools. It was a great experience for all of us and also very eye opening. I have to admit, I was shocked at how many kids were on a free or reduced lunch plan. It was even more alarming how many kids relied on those lunches as their main meal of the day. My daughter's teacher frequently asked for snack donations from anyone that was willing and able. Those snack donations were often shuffled into certain backpacks to take home at the end of each day because she knew those would become dinner (and sometimes breakfast) for some of her students.
So when I to sat down with my friend Anne Jones the other day, and heard about an amazing program she started in Tacoma, Washington called Snacks for Schools, I knew I had to replicate her idea and bring it to Denver.
With that, I'd like to introduce Snacks for Schools - Denver. The mission for this program is to provide snacks to High Need Schools with a large percentage of students receiving Free or Reduced lunches. We hope to offset financial burdens for teachers while supporting the students of our community.
Schools are so often seen as the place for learning, for relationship fostering, and growth. What isn't seen, however, is the life source that school is for so many students. Every morning students hop off the bus, not necessarily always eager to learn, but perhaps looking forward to their first meal of the day. A member of our Real Estate Team, Allie, was a teacher in low-income and urban public school systems for over five years. She has seen first hand the impact that a meal or snack can make in a child's day. At one point, every student she was teaching ate a free breakfast provided by the school each morning before coming to her class. It wasn't easy when she heard that was the first meal some of them had eaten since lunch the day before. She had a handful of students that she would send home extra food with for evenings when Mom or Dad worked late, or for extended breaks from school, when their meal source was on hold. These kids were 9 and 10 years old. Where do you think she got these extra food and snacks? Her weekly grocery shopping trips, paid by her own pocketbook. Her passion to support teachers and their students is infectious, and as a team we are eager to jump on board.
Schools are so often seen as the place for learning, for relationship fostering, and growth. What isn't seen, however, is the life source that school is for so many students. Every morning students hop off the bus, not necessarily always eager to learn, but perhaps looking forward to their first meal of the day. A member of our Real Estate Team, Allie, was a teacher in low-income and urban public school systems for over five years. She has seen first hand the impact that a meal or snack can make in a child's day. At one point, every student she was teaching ate a free breakfast provided by the school each morning before coming to her class. It wasn't easy when she heard that was the first meal some of them had eaten since lunch the day before. She had a handful of students that she would send home extra food with for evenings when Mom or Dad worked late, or for extended breaks from school, when their meal source was on hold. These kids were 9 and 10 years old. Where do you think she got these extra food and snacks? Her weekly grocery shopping trips, paid by her own pocketbook. Her passion to support teachers and their students is infectious, and as a team we are eager to jump on board.
My Real Estate Team, The Arrow Group at West + Main Homes will be heading up the Snacks for Schools - Denver program and we would love your help in making it a success. Every month we will be collecting non-perishable snacks and delivering them to high need schools throughout Denver.
To get the program up and running, we will be hosting a Happy Hour event November 6th at Sarah O. Jewelry in the Berkeley district. Stop by for some drinks and food and drop off your Snacks for Schools. The first school we will be donating to is Centennial Elementary in the Berkeley neighborhood. This is a fabulous school working hard to support a rapidly growing neighborhood and we couldn't be more excited to help.
For all the details, please visit our Facebook by clicking here. Thank you for your support and helping these kids make it through the day well fed!
For all the details, please visit our Facebook by clicking here. Thank you for your support and helping these kids make it through the day well fed!
Mic Ortega | Broker + REALTOR®
a | 2010 Youngfield St, Lakewood, Colorado 80215
p | 303-903-3734 e | mic@
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