Smart Snacks on Wacky Wednesdays

WackyWednesdayHealthy eating is our main focus for Garcia Elementary School’s students and this year we have seen tremendous success with the PTA’s Wacky Wednesday sales to raise funds for the school. Previously, our students have purchased unhealthy snacks such as nachos and soda during our Wacky Wednesday sales. However, this year’s sales include only healthy items that meet the new USDA Smart Snacks guidelines which went into effect on July 1, 2014. The new guidelines set limits on fat, sugar, sodium, and calories to ensure that all foods sold in school to students are healthy. Our school is dedicated to adhering to these new guidelines and is actively working to implement them at all of our PTA events in which foods are sold to the students.

From the planning to the implementation of the Smart Snacks guidelines in our sales, we wanted to make sure we were making the right choices for the children while they are in school. As parent leaders in the school, we knew that we had to make the decision to go healthy with our Wacky Wednesday sales to set an example for other school events. We have been averaging about $113 per week with our sales but it is not just the financial aspect of the sales that have been a success. The students are excited about the new healthier options that we are selling and that is an important part of our success with this transition.  Although the transition to healthier foods was met with some opposition and uncertainty, we have made the children’s health our priority through selling healthier foods and beverages and you cannot put a price on that.

 

Brenda Crawley is the PTA President at Dr. JA Garcia Elementary School in Corpus Christi, TX.