Simple Ways to Give Back with Champions for Kids: #SnacksForStudents

Are you looking for simple ways to give back to your local community? Have you been seeking out ways to give local kids the resources they need to thrive?

Look no further than Champions for Kids (CFK), a national non-profit organization that has partnered with participating Walmart stores to allow you to make donations that always stay local. A few weeks ago, CFK launched its Snacks for Students program, the first of several campaigns to roll out nationally, with the goal of providing resources to more than 10 million children in 2015.

Over the past few weeks, The Motherhood has worked closely with an outstanding group of bloggers, including Pragmatic Mom, Just Jilly and Midwest Mamas, to help share the news about Snacks for Students. Each of these civic-minded bloggers has connected an organization in her community with a local Walmart store, helping the organization sign up as a “Community Champion” – and in turn, making each organization the official beneficiary of all future Champions for Kids programs at that local store.

Champions for Kids joined forces with General Mills, Kellogg’s, Emerald and Kettle Chips to make it simple for communities to provide basic resources–in this case, snacks for students–through in-store donations.

The Motherhood got in on the fun and philanthropy and connected three organizations local to our Pittsburgh headquarters with nearby Walmart stores, including:

• Encompass Point, a non-profit child care center committed to providing low-cost, high quality care to teens. (Stores #1882 & #1770 in Butler, PA & Cranberry Twp., PA)
• Girls Hope of Pittsburgh, a non-profit that helps academically capable and motivated children in need to meet their full potential and become “women for others” by providing value-centered, family-like homes, opportunities and education through college. (Store #4643 in Baden, PA)
• Volunteers of America — All of us Care, a non-profit program aimed at preventing crime and substance abuse by providing positive activities for children and at-risk youth. (Store #5339 in Fox Chapel, PA)

In addition, Champions for Kids, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Emerald and Kettle Chips will provide 13 awards, totaling $45,000, to school districts and participating youth-based organizations based on the total number of donated items collected in each store, as reported by Community Champions.

Learn more about future Champions for Kids programs and how you can participate through a local store by following @Champions4Kids!