Fundraiser in Wright County hopes to pay for school time snacks

A group of parents in the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows school district is raising money for kids to have snacks in their classrooms.The district says elementary students receive a snack but are charged a fee at registration.Organizers say if everyone who lived within the district donated $15, they would have more than enough to provide not only snacks for the elementary students but all the kids within the district."It may not seem like a lot, but that is going to a kid in your school district," said Mani Rink, the fundraiser's organizer.Rink is trying to raise $60,000 to donate to the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows School District for afternoon snacks.She says right now, teachers are responsible for supplying them, and the money raised would go to pay for it.Parents are asked to pay $30 every semester for milk to go with the snack, even those who qualify for free and reduced lunch."They can't afford lunch, but we're going to ask them to pay this money at registration, and not all of them can do that," Rink said.CGD Superintendent Joseph Nelson says kids perform better on a full stomach and understands the need in the community."We know kids that are well-fed are better learners, right?" Nelson said. "This is just another layer on top of that to make sure our kids have the fuel that they need to be successful."He says 54% of the district qualifies for free and reduced lunch.The average across Iowa during the 2022-23 school year was 42%, according to the Iowa Department of Education."The great thing about small-town Iowa is when there's a need, we all come together," Nelson said.If the fundraiser reaches its goal, Rink hopes parents won't have to pay the $30 fee each semester, and teachers won't have to pay for snacks out of their own pocket."If it was your kid and you were in that situation, you would hope somebody who is more fortunate could help," Rink said.You can donate to the fundraiser through the group's GoFundMe page.