Can a snack help?
Yes, according to New Hope and Child Protective Services, two agencies that serve families in crisis. When children are involved in these situations, a simple snack bag can provide comfort and calm a child’s hunger and emotions.
When they heard of this need, members of the Young Women organization of the Moses Lake Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seized the opportunity. Donations were solicited from the Fourth Ward at Moses Lake, and the young women and their leaders collected the items and formed an assembly line to compile bags of snacks containing water, juice, crackers, granola bars, fruit snacks and applesauce, plus a pack of wipes for cleaning up. The bags have been hand decorated with pretty images and uplifting sayings to add a personal touch.
One of the participants, Arianna Muhlestein, commented on this service.
“I have been assembling CPS bags for six years now and I love doing it. It’s nice to know that I can help lift the spirits of people in need, especially around Christmas time,” she said.
Tina Steinmetz of New Hope said, “New Hope and Kids Hope are so grateful for these snack bags! We use them in so many ways. If clients and their children are coming in and it takes longer to get them to a safe place or with a safety plan, we are able to provide convenient snacks to accompany them until a hot meal can be provided.
A total of 150 snack bags were assembled; 75 were delivered to New Hope and the remaining 75 to CPS to help meet this need.