The city of Garland’s Summer Nutrition Program (SNP) completed another successful program year in early August. SNP provides free, nutritious meals for children ages 1-18 and young adults with disabilities while school is out for the summer.
SNP is comprised of numerous community partnerships, which enables the program to offer outreach events and activities in target locations in addition to providing meals for the city’s youth.
The Texas Department of Agriculture provided grant funding for a contract with PepsiCo Foodservice for timely preparation and delivery of meals.
The local Kraft Heinz plant generously donated 200 cases of Lunchables, which consisted of a sandwich, a bag of chips, a Rice Krispies Treats bar, and a water or Kool-Aid drink. The product donation allowed children to take home meals on the weekends in an effort to address child hunger.
The Good Samaritans of Garland donated bottled water for meal sites and helped market SNP to its clients.
Various city departments supported the SNP program as well. Garland Power & Light donated site supervisor T-shirts, while Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts provided Surf and Swim Wave Pool passes as attendance incentives. The Purchasing Department provided supplies to the program, and Fleet Services provided vehicles for site monitoring. The mayor’s office donated a Google tablet for the winner of a reading challenge, and staff from Wastewater Treatment volunteered their time by engaging kids in fun activities. Public & Media Relations helped promote SNP through public service announcements and marketing, while other city departments played other key supportive roles.
Activities and outreach projects in the 2016 SNP included:
- a reading challenge;
- a bike raffle;
- a friendly competition for a popsicle party;
- a raffle-ticket container design competition;
- a creative SNP group selfie; and
- food-themed T-shirt art design.
Several outreach events, such as water games, sack races, face painting and other fun activities, were held at the Granger and Audubon recreation centers and at the Parkridge and Oak Creek apartments. The Asian-American community partnered with the City at the Hollabaugh Recreation Center for a day of cultural festivities.
The SNP team wishes to thank all supporters and participants for making the 2016 meal program a successful community endeavor.
Information and photo provided by city of Garland