FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: How much does it cost to sponsor a child or a school? 

A: We work hard to keep our bag costs as low as possible, while still providing nutritional resources in each bag the students receive. Currently, we can feed an elementary student for approximately $12.50/mo or $150/yr during the school year. In addition to our school year programs, we also provide summer Snack Paks with our home delivery systems on Tuesday evenings.  The cost of the summer program is typically generated during San Antonio’s annual BIG GIVE campaign.

100% of all donations are used to buy food, unless the donor designates otherwise.

Q: Can I donate directly to a specific school or Independent School District? 

A: Absolutely. Any ISD or school that participates in our program has its own account within SP4KSA. That means all donations specified for a particular school or ISD are applied exclusively to the bottom line of that school or district. Any non-dedicated donations go toward funding schools or areas that do not have sponsors. If you would like to donate to a specific school or ISD, just go to our donate page and follow the instructions on the form.

Q: How do you select which schools are in your program?

A: Actually, that is not a choice we make: it is up to the communities, churches, ISDs, and schools. We begin serving students once a need is recognized and a volunteer organization is willing to assume responsibility for at least partial funding and all product preparation and distribution. Our goal is to assure that SP4KSA will be a sustainable solution for the school’s hungry students.

Q: How much of my donation actually goes to feeding children?

A: EVERY SINGLE CENT! 100% of all donations are used to purchase food for the program. We do not apply any donations to our overhead costs unless the donor specifically designates dollars for those costs. Grace Northridge provides the funding for our rent and insurance, and we have no paid employees. This allows SP4KSA to use all of our donated funds to purchase food.

Q: Why do you only allow food drives for peanut butter?

A: In order to maintain our commitment to use brand names and unexpired items, we purchase all products for the bags except peanut butter. Calorie-for-calorie, peanut butter is a nutritionally dense food filled with protein, fiber, and heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Peanut and a sleeve of Saltines are provided monthly, especially over longer holidays. Collection of peanut butter allows us to control the cost of each Snack Pak without compromising the overall product.

Q: What size peanut butter do you need? Why?

A: Any brand of 18 oz. plastic jars of creamy peanut butter to include in a child’s bag for a long weekend or holiday. Jars larger than this make it hard for young students to carry home. We’ve also found that the added weight of a large jar can crush other items in the bags. NOTE: For safety reasons, we do not accept GLASS JARS.

Q: What types of foods are in the bags?

A: The food in our bags must meet the following criteria before being considered for our program:

  • Limited high-fructose corn syrup
  • Shelf-stable (no refrigeration required)
  • Easy to open
  • No utensils needed to consume
  • No preparation required
  • No adult supervision to prepare a meal

Q: How are kids selected to be in your program?

A: At each participating school campus, staff members identify students who are dealing with chronic hunger and who do not seem to have reliable weekend nutrition. Teachers look for observed behaviors and physical symptoms. Once identified, the school contacts the guardian or parent to secure permission for the child to participate. If that permission is granted, the student begins to discreetly receive Snack Paks each Friday, placed in their backpacks during lunch or specials by their classroom teacher.

Q: What are some potential signs of food insecurity teachers observe?

A: Behaviors include:

  • Rushing food lines
  • Extreme hunger on Monday mornings
  • Eat others’ food
  • Always ask for seconds
  • Extremely thin or obese
  • Chronically dry or cracked lips
  • Excessively sick or absent from school

Q: How/when can I volunteer?

A: SP4KSA is entirely volunteer-driven. It is a community-wide effort that requires the help of many people to provide Snack Paks each week. On a regular basis, we need people to help:

  • Pick up empty totes at schools
  • Prep the warehouse for packing
  • Pack bags at the warehouse
  • Collect and sort donated peanut butter
  • Deliver totes to schools

Q: Where do most volunteer activities take place?

A: Most of our work is done at our warehouse location, inside the Daily Bread Ministries Warehouse at 3559 Belgium Lane, 78219.