2021: A Year in Review

2021: A Year in Review

You all are AMAZING!!!! We would not have been able to accomplish what we have this year without YOU. It has been an extremely rewarding year for SIS, our supporters, and those whom we support.

Official 501(c)(3)

The nonprofit was incorporated on March 4, 2021 under the name Sacks in Sacks Inc., and was approved for 501(c)(3) status on July 31, 2021. We are 8 board members strong, with a board consultant and three volunteer staff members helping us achieve our goals.

Because we are now a tax-exempt charitable organization, we are now able to accept monetary contributions via Facebook Fundraisers, Amazon Smile, and PayPal. Unsurprisingly, our loyal supporters have already responded by giving on all platforms. We are beyond thankful that you have chosen to support Snack in Sacks…however you have chosen to do so.

February Facebook challenge

In February our online invitation for individuals, families or groups to host their own Snack Bag Filling Party resulted in 1,521 snack bags being distributed by Fern Creek UMC Street Reach and Southend Street Angels. Thank you to the 35 families and individuals who participated.

Ahrens Work Transition Program partnership

Our new website launched in March, and news stories began to pour in as our community continued to support our ongoing need for snack bags outside of our in-person events. Notable among these was our collaboration with the Ahrens Work Transition Program. Amanda Jones worked with a group of students (aged 18-21 with special needs) to put together over 2,434 snack bags across 2 months. Their efforts were so successful that news of their hard work made it to the JCPS Daily Newsletter and WLKY News. A huge shout out to Amanda and her students.

KY Harvest donations

The ball continued to roll as Snacks in Sacks became affiliated with KY Harvest in April. Through KY Harvest's network of partners, Snacks in Sacks received approximately 140 pounds of snack food this year!

Wheeler Elementary's drive-thru snack drive

Donations continued to pour in as Wheeler Elementary's Student Council chose SIS as the beneficiary for their community service project. They organized a drive-thru snack drive in April and collected 3,583 snack food items from students, parents, and staff. Thank you Wheeler.

July's event: St. Martha's gymnasium

We were thrilled to welcome volunteers back to our in-person event on July 24th. We were able to put together an astonishing 2,515 bags; a new record for a Snacks in Sacks event! As always, this would not have been possible without YOU. Thanks to St. Martha Catholic Church and their 8th grade confirmation class for sponsoring the event.

December's event: St. Martha's cafeteria

Our second in-person event for the year, sponsored by Scout Troop 194, took place December 18th. Thank you to everyone who sent donations ahead of the event through the Amazon WishList, and thank you to all of the volunteers who participated. We were able to fill 1,928 snack bags for the Street Reach crew, and we had a great time doing it!

The next day we celebrated more great news as we learned that Spectrum had awarded our organization a grant in the amount of $1,000. Thanks Spectrum.

Total

The total number of snack bags assembled during 2021 was…drumroll…11,261. Wow!!! This is a new record for Snacks in Sacks, and it more than doubled our year-end total from 2020. With the number of bags we have been able to fill this year, we have been able to regularly support our Street Reach partner at Fern Creek United Methodist Church. Also, we were able to provide minor support to other outreach groups in their efforts to care for vulnerable individuals in our community: Southend Street Angels, The Forgotten Louisville, and Exodus Family Ministries.

Thank you

Thank you for all that you do to help us help others. Snacks in Sacks was born from a desire to make a difference in our local areas, and this year we certainly have. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Random Acts of Kindness

Kindergarten teachers at Wheeler Elementary School recently taught their students about communities, needs, and wants. They wanted for the lesson to come alive for the kiddos, so they decided to take the lesson even further. The question was, "How can we help with needs in our community?" With the temperatures continuing to drop, the children decided to help local houseless individuals receive some much needed winter survival gear and snack food items.

Teachers organized a school-wide collection for the Kindergarten Service Project. The kids made posters, decorated flyers, and even included handwritten notes and pictures with the donations. In total, the group collected more than 1304 items: 11 coats, 107 pairs of gloves, 3 pairs of socks, 3 beanie hats, 385 pairs of hand warmers, 40 super warmers, 15 pairs of toe warmers, 270 cookie packs, 44 fruit cups and snacks, 51 cracker packs, 190 protein items, 30 granola bars, 1 cereal pouch, 130 drink flavor packets, and 24 sternos (donated by staff). I include the exact count as this was also a part of the learning experience for the children! All items were brought to our recent bag-filling event and given to our Street Reach partner for distribution where the items are needed the most.

Thank you Wheeler Elementary for your support of Snacks in Sacks and our mission! And thank you to all of the students, parents, and staff who gave to the cause.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." Aesop

A season of Thanksgiving

60 snack bags were delivered to Fern Creek UMC Street Reach last week - thanks in large part to a family from Upstate New York. The family of 5 were in town visiting relatives for the Thanksgiving holiday. Their traditional volunteer activity was not a practical option (being over 500 miles away), but that didn't stop their enthusiasm for helping those in need. The KY family members (long-time supporters of Snacks in Sacks) suggested that the group fill bags for the local nonprofit. The idea of helping to provide snacks for those with food insecurity - at a time often centered around feasting - seemed like a perfect fit. One quick trip to Sam's Club, and the fun was underway!

The "kids," ranging from 7 to 18 years of age, made short work of unloading the goodies from the vehicle and unboxing it all into piles on kitchen countertops and folding tables. Assembly instructions were provided, and the families filed around the room in typical Snacks in Sacks fashion: moving from one category to the next, hand selecting flavors of granola bars, chips, fruits and more for the recipient of each bag. With 9 sets of hands helping, the task was complete in no time. The proof is in the picture. A family gathered in a small space can still make a huge difference!!! Special thanks to the Grzebinski family for your support. We are so glad that you enjoyed your first bag-filling event!