BRIGHT APPLEProviding healthy snacks for students every school day
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About
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Bright Apple is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides healthy snacks for students every school day. Many students have lunch at school but don’t eat again until the next day. We can’t begin to close the achievement gap until our children are able to focus on things other than basic necessities. Studies show that if students are behind in reading by third grade, most never catch up and many will not graduate high school. It’s our mission to stop hunger in school and be a piece in solving the education achievement gap.
We have relationships with food distributors to have USDA Smart Snacks (apples, bananas, cheese and crackers, etc.) sent directly to our participating Bright Apple Schools. We coordinate with school principals to identify each school's needs and they make sure their students receive the snacks. For as little as five dollars a month a child can receive a healthy snack all school year. Our greater goal is to bring Bright Apple to schools across the United States. Will you consider being part of the Bright Apple solution to childhood hunger? 2019 to 2020 School Year Over 65,000 USDA Smart Snacks given to Maury County children. 2020 to 2021 School Year Over 100,000 USDA Smart Snacks given to Maury County children. Bright Apple currently serves daily snacks to nearly 1200 students in Maury County. |
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From our Bright Apple Schools:
Highland Park Elementary
Highland Park Elementary School was one of the first schools to begin receiving Smart Snacks from Bright Apple. Since the students began receiving the snacks, School Principal Kelly Myers reports that they are “really making a difference.”
“The snacks we receive from Bright Apple are so helpful for our students and the teachers,” Myers said. “Having the same snacks for every student has really leveled the playing field. They are healthy and easy to have available for the students whenever they are needed throughout the day.”
Myers says that the teachers themselves had been providing snacks for some children before Bright Apple stepped in to help.
“The teachers don’t want any child to feel different or left out if their parent is not able to provide a snack for the school day,” Myers said.
The volume of students at the elementary school necessitates a lunch schedule where some students eat lunch as early as 10:20 or as late as 1:00. “For our students who have an early lunch, they may have had a good breakfast and not eat lunch as well. By the time they get to the afternoon, they are hungry,” said Myers. “The opposite is true for our students who eat lunch later and have a long stretch in the morning.”
The Bright Apple Snacks are on hand for the teachers to utilize as needed. If a student chooses not to eat their snack during the day, they are able to take it home to eat it later. Teachers are no longer having to use their own personal money to buy snacks for the students.
“Bright Apple Snacks are a great resource for us. They are great healthy snacks! Every student can have the same one, which also encourages the students to eat healthy food together,” Myers said.
“No one feels left out! The teachers don’t have to miss a beat as the students can keep working while they eat their healthy snacks.”
Myers reports that 95 to 100 students of the nearly 300 at Highland Park Elementary are enrolled in the “jet pack” program that provides food for the weekends. “The percentage of students that we have enrolled in the jet pack program shows how much food is truly needed by our students,” said Myers.
“Our school is truly blessed with many supporters. We are so thankful for resources like Bright Apple.”
McDowell Elementary School
December 2019
Good afternoon,
I wanted to reach out and let you know how grateful we are for the support you have provided for our McDowell students. They are flourishing with the afternoon snacks and it has also improved their behavior... We couldn’t be more thankful for your thoughtfulness and investment in our students. We hope this holiday season brings you blessings and joy!
Kind regards,
Breckon
Breckon Pennell, Ed. D.
Principal
McDowell Elementary School