As the school year ends, many food-insecure children face the challenge of maintaining adequate nutrition during the long summer break. So even though our weekend bag program runs parallel to the school calendar, is USANA Kids Eat able to feed hungry Utah kids over the summer?
Yes, we are!
At USANA Kids Eat, we understand this critical need and are dedicated to ensuring that children continue to receive support, even when school takes a summer break.
Here’s how we make it happen.
USANA Kids Eat Schedule
The USANA Kids Eat program follows the school-year calendar, running from August to May. During these months, we provide weekend bags filled with nutritious food to thousands of children across the Wasatch Front. Each bag contains 16 items approved by a nutritionist that can make up seven different meals.
These bags help children who rely on school meals during the week, ensuring they have something to eat over the weekend (and sometimes even beyond that!).
Summer Support for Food-Insecure Children
While our regular program operates during the school year, we know that food insecurity doesn’t take a summer vacation.
To bridge this gap, we collaborate with school districts to support their summer lunch programs. These programs offer meals to children during the weekdays, and we supplement this effort by providing weekend bags.
Each Friday, children attending these summer lunch programs receive a bag of food to help them through the weekend, ensuring they don’t go hungry.
Choosing Districts for Summer Support
Because we aim to help hungry Utah children who need support, the districts participating in our regular school-year program are automatically included in our summer support initiative. However, we remain flexible and responsive to needs that arise. If a different district reaches out for support, we always do our best to assess their needs and provide assistance where possible.
We exist to serve the Wasatch Front and the greater Salt Lake City area, serving and supporting hungry kids. Our goal is to ensure that no child goes hungry, regardless of the time of year.
Distribution Details
This year, each participating district received 700 bags at the beginning of the summer.
These bags are distributed to schools hosting summer feeding programs, which then hand them out to children every Friday. This systematic approach ensures that our resources effectively reach the children who need support the most!
Staying Involved Year-Round
Summer is a quieter time for USANA Kids Eat in terms of packing food bags and distribution to schools, but it’s a crucial period for planning and securing support for the upcoming school year.
We actively seek sponsors for our in-need schools during the summer months. The number of schools we can support is directly linked to the number of sponsors we have. Each sponsorship covers the cost of weekend bags for a particular school for an entire year—that’s a lot of support for food-insecure kids!
A sponsorship not only provides essential nutrition but also removes the anxiety and uncertainty of food insecurity for these children.
Each bag costs $10, and the total sponsorship for a school is calculated based on the number of children in need, multiplied by 40 weeks (the length of a typical school year), and the $10 cost per bag. For example, sponsoring a school with 20 children in need would require $8,000 for the year ($10 x 20 children x 40 weeks).
How You Can Help
Want to feed hungry kids in Utah? Are you concerned about food-insecure children along the Wasatch front? Are you a Salt Lake City resident looking for ways to give back? We invite you to join us in making a difference!
Becoming a sponsor can drastically change the lives of numerous children, providing them with the security of knowing they will have enough to eat every weekend. If you are interested in sponsoring a school, we can arrange for your family or company to participate in a pack event to see firsthand what we do. If sponsorship isn’t feasible, consider making a donation or becoming a monthly donor.
Because USANA Health Sciences covers our admin costs, all donations go directly to food for kids and gas for our trucks to deliver them.
Every dollar counts and contributes directly to feeding children in our community.
Moreover, if you’re looking for hands-on ways to get involved, there are numerous volunteer opportunities throughout the year. From packing bags to helping with distribution, your efforts can make a significant impact.
Help Us Feed Hungry Utah Kids
USANA Kids Eat is dedicated to fighting food insecurity among children, not just during the school year but throughout the summer as well.
With the support of our community, sponsors, and volunteers, we can continue to provide essential nutrition to those who need it most. Join us in this crucial mission and help make a lasting difference in the lives of children in our community.
