11/05/2025
Please click on the link in our bio to purchase Belly Love food cards for distribution by our Social Worker here at AC Reynolds High School to families that rely on SNAP benefits to survive. The federal government has announced they will not be funding SNAP as of 11/1/25, leaving families scrambling for food. We have approximately 450 families at ACRHS who receive SNAP benefits. While some receive $100 a month in benefits to supplement their food purchasing ability, others are completely reliant on SNAP to feed their families.
*What is Belly Love? It is our food insecurity program here at ACRHS. We raise funds by selling $25 Belly Love cards in our ACRHS.givebacks.com store to keep the donation amount up to you by selecting as many cards as you like. You can also donate via Venmo at acrhsptsa with a note “Belly Love”. We then purchase grocery cards in $50 increments to be distributed by our Social Worker to families in need. Belly Love also puts together on demand food boxes with non-perishables, adding some fresh food on top when available, with 24 hours notice. We are soon installing our food pantry at school, which will provide additional access to food.
*Why does the PTSA give grocery store cards out? We have found families have dietary restrictions, need a hot meal for that night, need proteins not available at food banks, & many other reasons.
*Why do people rely on SNAP benefits & how does it hurt not to have them available? There are a vast number of reasons SNAP benefits are needed such as families working full time but do not earn a living wage, known as functionally unemployed, someone in the family has become injured or is too sick to work, being out on maternity, bereavement or FMLA leave from work, survivors of domestic violence who are newly on their own, families who are now taking care of an aging parent whose medical expenses exceed their fixed income, those who have lost their job, folks experiencing a family separation, students who work part-time due to a full-time school schedule, retired grandparents who take in grandchildren to raise on a small fixed income, & so many more reasons. SNAP doesn’t just benefit the recipients, the funds fuel our local economy, so losing these benefits will hurt local business, some of which heavily rely on SNAP spending. Nationally, for every $1 billion in SNAP benefits, 13,560 jobs are supported, our GDP increases by $1.54 billion, local and state taxes are paid, and higher wages are paid to employees in the food industry.
*What are some of the challenges families face with food insecurity? Transportation, time off from work, short food bank hours, urgent needs & limited options are just a few of the challenges families face trying to rely solely on food banks. The grocery cards can be sent home with students, so parents do it need to leave work early or make a special trip to school to receive assistance.
*Is there any other way we can help families experiencing food insecurity? We would love to have help with updating a monthly schedule of food banks by availability and location. We already have a format for this, but do not have a Food Schedule Chair. If you have 1-2 hours a month, can perform a Google search, & make a call to verify any unclear info you find online, you can help!
*How can we help families with work schedule or transportation challenges utilize local food banks & distribution sites? We would love to have volunteers free shop for families. This would entail receiving a list from a family & going to a food bank or distribution site on their behalf.
*Are there any other programs or ways we can help families get food on their table? Interact with and share our social media content to help fast & free to support the program. As part of the Belly Love program, we collect items for food boxes to be picked up at school or delivered to families. We collect non perishables & sometimes do a quick collection, use donated funds, or ask a local restaurant or store for fresh options to add to these food boxes. These requests will go out in our social media, Sunday messages, and to PTSA membership. If you are inspired to help with food donations or delivery of food boxes, email us at [email protected] to be connected with our program director.
Please share this need, purchase Belly Love cards if you can or donate to Venmo with a note Belly Love to acrhsptsa. Like, comment & share to assist us for free & in seconds. Thank you for supporting fellow Rocket families.
