Did you know that there is an easy way for us to donate to youth-based, non-profit organizations while shopping? That’s right. Champions for Kids, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Emerald and Kettle Chips have joined forces to make it simple for communities to provide basic resources for students through in-store donations at various local Walmart’s throughout the country.
This Snacks for Students program is part of SIMPLE Giving, a Champions for Kids program that seeks to make it simple for shoppers like me to purchase and donate items for children in need. In 2013, SIMPLE Giving began in 24 central Arkansas Walmart stores and was extended to Walmart stores across 11 states in 2014. The Snacks for Students program is the first of several campaigns to launch nationally, with the goal to provide resources for more than 10 million children in 2015. How awesome is that?
When asked to partner together as a Community Champion with the Champions for Kids program be helping to spread the word AND choosing an organization that could benefit from the cool thing they are doing, I immediately thought of Firewall Centers, a non-profit organization that provides low-income, middle and high school students with free daily, mentoring, tutoring, and servant leadership development.
This year they will be serving over 350 students which means that this year alone they will hand out almost 50,000 snacks. Snack donations will definitely serve them well!
I had the pleasure of going to my local Walmart and shopping (it was a tough task but someone had to do it) for a snack donation to their organization. I also bought them some candy bars which they use as rewards.
Now that the snacks are purchased, I will be delivering them to one of the Firewall Centers (although I could have dropped off the items in one of the in-store donation bins). I can’t wait to see their excitement.
Thankfully, Champions for Kids makes it simple to give kids in your community the resources they need to thrive. Since 2004, they have served more than 5.4 million children across all 50 states through in-store donation campaigns, service projects and community events. Now we can do what we can to help by being on the lookout for upcoming donation programs at your local participating Walmart. You can see which Walmart are participating by clicking here. Also, be sure to follow @Champions4Kids to watch for upcoming donation programs you can participate in.
Note: I am a paid influencer for this project. However, ALL opinions and photos are my own.
