Getting Food for Packs | Kidpacksforamerica

Filling the Kid Packs

What Should Be Sent Home With Students?

There are two key words you need to keep in mind when you think about the types of food you'll need to obtain for your Kid Packs: nourishing and kid-friendly. Candy bars, while kid-friendly, wouldn't be ideal for a Kid Pack-- they're not exactly nourishing. In addition, you don't want to fill your Kid Packs with food that children wouldn't have the skills to prepare if they're stuck preparing food by themselves.

Here is a partial list of food items you could obtain to fill your Kid Packs:

Dried fruit, including raisins
Jellies/preserves
Popcorn
Rice cakes
Real fruit juices with no added sugar
Nutritious cereal
Granola bars
Fruit chews
Oatmeal
Jello or pudding
Canned soups
Canned tuna
Mac and cheese or whole wheat pasta
Canned fruit, including applesauce
Rice
Crackers (not overly processed)
Powdered milk

Also, here's a list of foods you definitely want to stay away from as you're filling Kid Packs:

Anything that will spoil or rot
Nuts of any kind
Sugary drinks or energy drinks
Baking products, such as flour or sugar
Condiments, such as ketchup or mustard
Potato chips
Cookies or candy
Bread
Canned vegetables (not kid-friendly!)

Where Should Food Be Stored?

You’re going to need an empty classroom, a spare conference room, or even an old janitors’ closet to store all of the food. A simple classroom closet will not do; you need a large space that will be accessible to staff members all year round. You may be feeding hundreds of kids, depending on how big your school is. A large space is essential.

The good news is (if you can call it good news,) as more and more school programs are cut, more and more spaces are becoming available. Home economics rooms, video recording studios, wood and metal shops, and even extra conference rooms are being used as rooms to store food for Kid Packs. Food should be stored at room temperature and organized on tables and shelves for easy access.