By Kelsey Morrow

Employees from Haskell recently prepared 100 snack packs for students at Full Service Schools sites across Duval County. In less than two hours, the team of about 15 volunteers organized small packages of healthy snacks, including juice boxes, granola bars and graham crackers, into hand-decorated bags with positive messages for students.

Many students in Northeast Florida leave school without enough food to eat at home. Lack of food can cause not only nutritional deficiencies but also hinder the ability to focus and concentrate on important activities, such as studying and homework.

Full Service Schools, an initiative of United Way of Northeast Florida and several community partners, helps families in eight Duval County neighborhoods address nonacademic barriers to success, including a lack of proper nutrition. Full Service Schools provides counseling services, tutoring, mentoring, access to basic needs such as food and clothing, and many other services and resources.

Full Service Schools distributes hundreds of these snack packs annually. They are an important component of the wrap-around resources Full Service Schools offers families in need. Moreover, companies like Haskell are critical to sustaining these efforts long-term.

Are you looking for a team-building project? Are you a church group or other community-minded organization looking to make a difference? Check out United Way’s “Projects in a Box.” These projects are perfect for small teams, and United Way will play matchmaker to find the activity that will best fit your interests.

Examples of projects in addition to creating snack packs for our Full Service Schools include stuffing bears for ReadingPals students, assembling natural-disaster kits and more. View our “Projects in a Box” menu anytime to get started.

For more information on these volunteer opportunities and much more, email volunteer@nulluwnefl.org.