School has now started all over the country and so it’s perhaps no surprise that my inbox has suddenly started filling up with emails like this one from TLT readers concerned about school junk food fundraising:
They just sent home a fundraiser to sell dominos pizza cards to raise money for the school As a first time mom I want to handle this correctly and give good non food suggestions without seaming to preachy. Any tips or letter templates?
Here’s another one:
I’m hesitant to become “that mom” who resists fundraising programs, rejects commercially driven projects/grants, etc. But especially as the first of my kids enters the district if I can play the situation effectively, there is so much more opportunity for change than if I am immediately pinned as the problem parent. I’m crossing my fingers you have ideas!! Many thanks. Your work and research is fortifying to my argument so I’m already ahead having found your blog!
These and other, similar inquiries have motivated me to compile a list of good resources for parents trying to stop junk food fundraising in their child’s school. But before I share that list below, I want to recount a personal story.
At my own child’s school, there has been a tradition of “Fun Food Fridays” in which parents bake pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough and sell the cookies every Friday after the last bell rings. This year, in addition to the cookies, our school newsletter informed us that candy was being added to the mix. It read, “We are looking for 3 volunteers who can work from 3:15-4p every other Friday to sell candy in the school store. It is fast & furious selling to our hungry kids, but a lot of fun.”
There were so many things that bothered me about this Fun Food Friday fundraiser, starting with the fact that the school was sending a clear message to kids that cookies and candy are “fun food,” with the implication that healthier food is something less than “fun.” And that line in the newsletter about “hungry kids” particularly irked me. Speaking as a mom, I know how ravenous kids can be after school; in fact, after-school snack is one of my best opportunities to get my own kids to eat the fruit and other healthful foods they sometimes otherwise spurn. So the idea of all these “hungry” bellies getting filled up with entirely non-nutritive cookies and candy – including, on a few occasions, the belly of my own child — just seemed all wrong.
But I still didn’t speak up.
First of all, I knew my own child would be furious and embarrassed if I had any role in putting the kibosh on these sales. He still bears some resentment over the fact that I refused to send in junk food for his birthday back in elementary school (see, “Food Free Birthdays Can Be Hard – Even for the ‘Manifesto Lady‘”) and that I once complained about a teacher’s practice of giving kids Brownie Points for good behavior – points that were later rewarded with actual brownies. And, even apart from my son’s concerns, I told myself that I had to pick my battles. Given that these sales were taking place after school and only once a week, maybe this wasn’t the best place to direct my energy.
In the end, because of the new federal Smart Snacks rules that went into effect this July, junk food fundraising can no longer take place during the school day, which includes the half hour after the last bell. So a few days ago this appeared in the newsletter:
And it’s that sad face emoticon that really gets to the heart of why I decided to keep my head down over Fun Food Fridays.
When I learned the cookie and candy fundraiser would no longer take place, I wanted to dance around my kitchen to celebrate. I was thrilled that years of hard work by food advocates around the country, maybe even including my own small efforts here on The Lunch Tray, had finally yielded strong federal competitive food rules to create a healthier school environment for my child and his fellow students. But, as so graphically evidenced by that crying face above, most of the parents at our school likely don’t share my views at all. And on a purely personal level, when you have to deal with teachers, administrators and fellow parents on a regular basis, it can be very, very hard to buck prevailing norms.
I’m not proud of this story but I’m sharing it to let all of you know that even someone like me, with strong views on the subject of junk food in schools, can be cowed by the prospect of swimming against the tide. Often it’s you, my Lunch Tray readers, who inspire me, with your courageous activism and advocacy at your own children’s schools.
And now, having shared my confession, here’s the promised list of resources that can help all of us deal with this knotty issue:
- CSPI has a great list of non-food fundraising ideas here, all of which are designed to support: “1) healthy eating and physical activity by children, 2) nutrition education, 3) parents’ efforts to feed their children healthfully, and 4) the fundraising needs of schools.”
- CSPI also has a model resolution for PTAs to adopt relating to healthier school fundraising.
- Here’s another good list of non-food fundraising ideas from Parents Advocating for School Accountability.
- Stacy Whitman of School Bites has done some great work on school food fundraising. In this recent post she shares information about a novel fundraising idea that helps farmers and promotes healthy eating, and she offers many additional resources as well. And in this guest post which she wrote for Bag the Junk, Whitman specifically addresses getting your PTA on board with the idea of healthy fundraising.
- Speaking of Bag the Junk, its website, which supports the NEA Health Information Network’s Healthier School Food Advocacy project, is another great resource for parents seeking to improve the quality of their kids’ school food environment, including by improving fundraising.
- This recent U.S. News & World Report article from Yoni Freedhoff, M.D., “It’s Time to Put an End to Junk Food Fundraising,” lays out the many arguments against this practice, all of which you can use to make your own case with PTAs and principals.
- And finally, I wanted to alert you to a Tweet chat hosted by @MomsRising and@CSPI this Friday, September 26th, from 1-2pm EST that will specifically discuss healthy school fundraising and how to wean your own school off junk food sales. Just use the hashtag #FoodFri to follow along and participate.
Thanks as always to all of you for sharing your stories and ideas with me and for always inspiring me to do better. Let’s see what we can do to get our fellow parents to regard junk-food-free schools not as an occasion for this . . .
. . . and more worthy of this:
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Mary says
“But, as so graphically evidenced by that crying face above, most of the parents at our school likely don’t share my views at all.”
It could also be that the few parents who really, really like the money raised from this particular sale don’t share your views at all. At least, that’s what I hope.
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Mary, that’s true. One of the things I didn’t say in the post (which I hastily wrote from start to finish this morning while sending kids off to school) is that I’m not very plugged in at the school due to my own failure to volunteer a lot and otherwise get involved. I used to do a lot of that when my kids were in elementary, but now I have so much work during the day that I lack the time, and I also believe in giving middle schoolers plenty of space. 🙂 But for that reason, I don’t have a firm sense of whether other parents share my views. And, precisely because I’m not so plugged in, it would be harder for me to follow the first piece of advice I’d offer any parents in this situation, which is: find like-minded parents and don’t go it alone.
Patti Reis says
With all due respect, I think this totally misses the point of the entire article. There are plenty of other ways to raise money. Tons. There are lots of ways for kids to have fun that don’t involve junk food, and many of those can even parlayed into raising money (Jog a Thon? Dance a Thon? Or our new school does “Olympics” that is part Jog a Thon, part reading contest, and part activity that the KIDS pick.) There is absolutely NO need for all the junk. None. Schools are in a position to send great messages or confusing messages about health and nutrition. Bettina is right that the message behind this particular fundraiser was confusing at best.
Bettina, I have to say I was recently heartened by posts on a local moms board in my area. I had assumed that most of the moms did NOT share my views on after-sports snacks, but there was a rousing discussion about that, with most moms in support of healthier snacks or no snacks at all. Keep doing what you do! I can’t see how much longer people can continue to defend our kids’ “right” to junk food!
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Patti: I think all Mary was saying is that I may have overestimated the number of parents who are sad to see this sale go by the wayside and maybe that sad-face emoticon is really expressing the feelings of the few parents who ran this sale. I don’t think she was defending junk food fundraising because it’s lucrative. And I’m really glad to hear that you’re finding support on the after-sport snack issue among your local moms. I really hope this means the tide is changing!
Patti Reis says
Oh I see! Sorry for that misunderstanding. Thanks for clarifying. I really do think the tide is changing. One small change at a time is my motto at home – and I think that applies on a larger scale as well. 🙂
Stacy @School-Bites.com says
Bettina – I really appreciate your honesty and I totally agree with your reasons for opposing the “Fun Food Fridays.” And it can be VERY hard to buck prevailing norms and swim against the tide. I wonder if just maybe, just maybe, there are other parents who are wanting to dance around their kitchens in celebration. Perhaps you could suggest an alternative such as Popcorn Fridays so they don’t have to drop the fundraiser and kids have the option of purchasing a healthy snack? On another note, I’m really pleased about the response (so far) to our FarmRai$er fundraiser, which kicks off this Friday. I’ve had friends and neighbors say, “Finally, the school is selling something that I can use!,” “I’d definitely buy apples and organic veggies–be sure to come by!,” and “SO MUCH better than selling wrapping paper!” THANK YOU for all your advocacy work, including this post–you are a big inspiration to many! Also, for linking to my blog. 🙂
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Stacy: Thanks for all the work you’ve done on your blog regarding this issue and for the words of support. And I’m eager to learn more about FarmRai$er. It sounds like a win-win for all concerned!
Lea says
Bettina,
I wanted to thank you for your posts about Smart Snacks and for your inspiration. When my son came home with a flyer about a Kona Snow Cone fundraiser during the school day, I contacted his teacher about Smart Snacks, and she then contacted the principal, and the event was canceled. I later found out they have added vitamins to their syrup to get around the rules, but even if the fundraiser complied, I was glad to see it canceled. I think all of us would appreciate advice about what to do in similar situations. We all have to stand up and be the unpopular parent sometimes!
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Hi Lea- I’m so glad this worked out for you and your school! And you’ve intrigued me about the fortification issue. My understanding of the Smart Snacks rules is that simply adding nutrients to foods that are not otherwise permissible (which I would have said is true of sno-cones) doesn’t make the food acceptable. I’m going to dig a bit. Thanks for sharing your story here!
Andi says
Our PTA offers parents a “Fundraising Opt-Out.” It’s a way to directly donate to the PTA without participating in any fundraisers, so there’s no guilt over non-participation. We tried to work it out so that people who made the Opt-Out donation ($30) wouldn’t even be given the fundraising forms, but that didn’t work out with how our school sends things home with the kids.
Last year was the first year for it and we made about $1000, all of which were fully tax-deductible donations. $1000 isn’t much for a fundraiser, but this took no effort other than to type up the request and add it to the PTA packet. So it was $1000 for an hour’s worth of work, rather than the week or more of many volunteers’ time that a normal fundraiser takes.
Sure, people don’t get anything in exchange for their donations, but $30 to opt out is WAY less than what families usually spend on fundraisers.
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Andi: I’ve heard of schools doing this and it seems like a great idea, especially since the economics of other fundraisers such as bake sales don’t always make sense when you really examine how much is spent in time and ingredients versus the money collected. And I especially like that your school makes this just one option of many, since there likely will be families that can’t afford the $30 but are willing to sell things to other people, such as wrapping paper, etc.
Allyssa says
I think the larger question or should I say “problem” is WHY do we have to do fundraising for public schools at all? I’m a PTO board mother and I’m still in disbelief that the parents actually need to raise 100K + if we want our children to have Computer Science, PE, Art, After School Library, new rugs, regular custodial cleaning in the classroom etc. It’s great that federal rules and regulations are put into place to police unhealthy habits at school but it would be even greater if our government could figure out a way to address the root of the problem. Where are all our tax dollars going? I’d rather have a public school funded librarians, computer teachers, regular PHYSICAL EDUCATION programs, NURSES. Art and Music in our school then have our tax dollars go towards paying politicians and specialists to develop programs to police healthy eating options that should be driven at home. #FeelingfrustratedwiththeCApublicschoolsystem
Bettina Elias Siegel says
As a public school parent of 16 years (with one now in private), I simply could not agree more.
Vich says
I’m not sure why parents couldn’t have just said, “No, you can’t participate in cookie Friday today. It’s not a healthy practice. Let’s do it once a month and only if you are ready for the bus each morning without mom or dad having to push you along.” Seriously, we have a job to do. The world is out there. You can’t hide from all the cookies.