Welcome to Our Program

Providing Nutritious Snacks for Potsdam Students

About

The Potsdam Snack Pack Program is dedicated to ensuring that no child goes hungry. We provide nutritious snacks to Potsdam Central School and Potsdam Head Start students over the weekend, so they can come back to school Monday focused and energized.

The Potsdam Snack Pack Program runs primarily on local monetary donations. The Program also applies for grants to assist with larger projects such as equipment purchases and large food orders.

With rising food costs and increased need, the current average cost of one student snack pack is $4. This means it's roughly $160 per student for the school year. If you would like to "adopt a student" and pay for their snack packs for the year, please click the Donate Now button!

Our Impactful Projects

Snack Distribution

Students and their families sign up at the beginning of the school year for Friday snack packs. These bags are intended for students who may need some extra nutrition over the weekend so they can feel fuller and be ready to learn staring Monday morning.

Community Outreach

Summer months continue to be busy planning and executing the Potsdam Back to School Fair where any student who attends Potsdam Central Schools can pickup their needed school supplies and families have a chance to meet local entities that can help support them during the school year.

Volunteer Support

Every Thursday at 9am, volunteers get together to pack all of the snack packs and distribute them to Headstart, Elementary, Middle School, and High School students in the Potsdam Central School Districts that students have food over the weekend.

Feeding the Future

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A huge THANK YOU to the @tke_clarkson fraternity for helping us pack Snack Packs last week! 💛📦
This crew is always willing and eager to jump in wherever they’re needed, whether it’s packing bags, lending extra hands behind the scenes, or helping with weekly bottle and can pickups from @thecircuit6elm and @mcduffspub Every week, they bring those deposits to CJ’s Bottle Return and add them straight into our account to support the Snack Pack Program. ♻️❤️
TKE is just one of the many incredible groups we’re so grateful for this year. Our community truly makes this program possible, and we’re thankful for every single partner and volunteer who shows up for local kids.
We love our volunteers! 🙌💙

Do you want an easy way to help too?! You can drop off your bottles and cans at CJs’s too, just let them know they’re for the Potsdam Snack Pack Program!

#SnackPackProgram #FoodAccess #CommunityStrong #ClarksonUniversity #TKE

📣 Reminder for Monthly Pantry Families!
If you’re signed up for our Saturday Snack Pack Program, don’t forget — pickup is tomorrow (Saturday, November 1) from 10 AM – 12PM at the PCS Annex Building!
Swing by to grab your monthly snack packs filled with nourishing food items to help keep kids fueled and ready to learn. 💛
Nourishment for every kid, every family.
#PotsdamSnackPack #CommunitySupport #NoKidHungry

🎉 Thank you, Northern New York Community Foundation! 🎉
We’re so grateful to receive a $1,000 grant from the @nnycommunityfoundation to support our Snack Pack Program! These funds will be used to purchase food through the @foodbankofcny, helping us continue to provide healthy, reliable weekend food to students in the Potsdam Central School District.
Every donation helps us fight childhood hunger and ensure that local kids have the nourishment they need to learn and thrive. 💙
#SnackPackProgram #PotsdamNY #CommunitySupport #ThankYou #NNYCF #FightingChildhoodHunger

💙 Potsdam Snack Pack 💙
We love seeing our community come together! This week’s crew included @clarksonhonors students, @thearcjslc participants, local residents, and our original Snack Pack team…all working side by side to pack bags that help fuel learning for Potsdam students.

A huge thank-you to the @northcountrycleanenergyhub for donating reusable water bottles for every Snack Pack recipient! 💧 Your generosity helps keep our kids hydrated and our planet a little greener. 🌎

Together, we’re making a difference, one bag, one student, one week at a time! 🍎🎒✨

#PotsdamSnackPack #FuelingLearning #CommunityStrong #CleanEnergyHub #ClarksonUniversity #ARC #VolunteersMakeItHappen

Good morning @potsdamcsd If you signed your student up for Snack Packs this school year and checked the box for Saturday pickups, it’s always the 1st Saturday of the month, which for October, is today! Saturday’s we provide snacks that may be a little cumbersome for students to get home on the typical Friday. Think big boxes, frozen items, and canned goods. Pickup is from 10am-12pm at the Annex building behind the middle school!

#snackpack #backpack #saturday #food #nochildhungry

📢 Snack Pack Program Update: Final 3 Weeks & Urgent Need 📢

We’d like to take a moment to share some helpful information about food safety and shelf life—especially for those who may be less familiar with supplemental food programs. Many food items remain safe and nutritious well beyond their printed dates when stored properly. The Food Bank of Central New York offers a helpful Shelf Life Guide to clarify what’s still good to eat and what should be discarded (for example, baby food should never be used after its expiration date). (https://www.foodbankcny.org/assets/Uploads/Shelf-Life-of-Common-FB-Products.pdf)

🧃 There are just 3 weeks left in the school year, and we still need to raise $3,000 to continue providing nutritious weekend meals through the Snack Pack Program.

🚨 At the same time, proposed federal budget cuts could significantly reduce funding for food assistance programs like SNAP—impacting millions of families and increasing the importance of local efforts like ours.

Here’s how you can help:
💛 Donate to support the final weeks of this school year.
📣 Share this message to raise awareness.

Together, we can ensure every child finishes the year nourished and supported.
#SnackPackProgram #FightChildHunger #FoodSecurity #SupportLocalKids #ProtectFoodAssistance

The Potsdam Snack Pack Program held their first Spring Cleaning event today at @potsdamcsd AAK Middle School. Thousands of hygiene and bathroom products were handed out to kids in 5th-8th grade. Shout out to @foodbankofcny for helping to supply many of these products, the students were so kind and thankful throughout the entire event.

#springcleaning #hygiene #donate #teens #tweens #snackpack #backpack #middleschool

A new event by the Potsdam Snack Pack Program happens this week! Hygiene products can be expensive! so we've been collecting them for students to pick out and take home. Students: stop by and see us and take home a bag of products! #springcleaning #middleschool #highschool #backpack #snackpack #hygiene #toiletries

With the help of @nnycommunityfoundation grants and affordable food items from @foodbankofcny the Potsdam Snack Pack Program has initiated its first weeks of perishable items for students to bring home for the weekend. Items this week included yogurt and cheese sticks in these new reusable, insulated bags. A shoutout to greatnorthernpotsdam for their generous donation and to @tke_clarkson for all of the bottle returns. With those combined efforts we were able to obtain these great bags for students to use week after week.

Thank you to all of the teachers, staff, and administrators at @potsdamcsd for their continued support and cheerleading of this program. Any large effort such as feeding over 300 kids each week doesn’t go without its hiccups, but the programs goal of reducing child hunger remains everyone’s focus and we thank you for that!

#snackpack #backpack #foodinsecurity #hunger #foodbank #nonprofit #volunteer #student #headstart #reusable

The Potsdam Snack Pack Program provides weekend bags of food for students throughout the @potsdamcsd as well as the Potsdam @headstartgov Over 300 students are supported each weekend here in the community with the goal to reduce childhood #hunger A grant from the @nnycommunityfoundation has afforded us the ability to purchase a fridge and freezer so we can offer some perishable items! As we continue to develop and plan logistics for this new food venture with the students, we ask for any support in the form of monetary donations, so we can purchase the rest of the supplies we need to send perishable items home safely. This week we were able to send #grapes from the @foodbankofcny home with kids, one of #naturescandy if you ask us!

Thank you to all who have helped us grow this program for the students here in Potsdam and who continue to support us by means of volunteering and donations 🫶🙌

#snacks #snackpack #backpack #foodinsecurity #donate #volunteer #foodbank

📣 Help Us Feed Our Kids! 🍎🥪

The Potsdam Snack Pack Program is dedicated to ensuring that no child in our community goes hungry. With just three months left in the school year, we still have 11 more Snack Pack distributions to provide — but we need your help to make it happen!

We are seeking to raise $11,000 to cover the remaining costs and ensure that our students have the nutritious food they need to thrive.

💛 Every dollar makes a difference! Your donation will go directly toward filling Snack Packs with healthy snacks and essential food items for children in need.

➡️ To donate, visit https://www.potsdamsnackpack.org/donate-now or contact info@potsdamsnackpack.org

Let's come together as a community and finish the school year strong! Thank you for your kindness and support. ❤️ A special shout out to @clarksonwlacrosse and @tke_clarkson for their continued support of the program! #PotsdamSnackPack #CommunitySupport #NoChildGoesHungry #tke #lacrosse

On a snowy Thursday night, @tke_clarkson brushed off their cars and headed over to make sure @potsdamcsd and @headstartgov students would receive their snack packs this week. TKE has been an extraordinary partner since we took over last year and they continue to offer their time and energy to the Potsdam Snack Pack Program. If you happen to pass someone with a TKE shirt on, tell them thank you for giving back to our community. @tke_fraternity

#tke #clarkson #snackpack #backpack #snacks #volunteer #foodinsecurity #childhunger #foodbank

Snack Pack was busy this morning packing for the Thanksgiving recess at school. Shout out to @tke_clarkson for stepping in and helping us during this busy time of the year! Not only did TKE help us this morning, but they’ve been collecting bottles from @mcduffspub each week to donate to the program! We’re so lucky to have a group that’s so dedicated to our program!

@tke_fraternity @clarksonuniv
#snackpack #snacks #backpack #foodinsecurity #feedingkids #donate #volunteer #dedication

Today was our first packing day at Potsdam's A.A.K Middle School. It was nice to show anyone passing in the hallway the hard work being done for Potsdam students. Over 300 students are given "snack packs" each week for a total of close to 1300 bags per month!! We couldn't do this without our wonderful and dedicated volunteers, generous donors, and the students, teachers, and staff who help us get these all delivered each week. Special thanks to Dan Cook and the Middle School for getting us a spot to pack! #snackpack #backpack #foodinsecurity #volunteer #donate #snacks #students #food #health #wellness #kindness #happiness

New Venmo account is up and running along with PayPal! Snack Pack is stocking up on food items for the next couple of weeks of packing. There are 8 items currently in each bag including: 2 breakfast items, 1 lunch item, 4 snacks, 1 drink. Weekly cost is $4 per snack pack on average. With our numbers close to 300 already that equates to $1200 per week. This is ALL run by donations and volunteers so we need your help! In order to keep up with increased student needs and increased food pricing, we would love a donation, even better, a monthly donation. $16 per month or $160 per year will sponsor a student for the school year. Can we get each student to have a sponsor this year?!

Not into digital payment? We still really appreciate checks sent to our UPS mailbox!

#donate #sponsor #snackpack #backpack #hunger #breakfast #lunch #thankyou #ittakesavillage

The Potsdam Snack Pack Program made their first delivery of the 2024-2025 school year this week! A big thank you to all of the teachers and staff @potsdamcsd and Headstart for helping get the student lists together, highlight allergies, and make sure students have their bags for the weekend!

It was wonderful to have the Thursday volunteer packing crew back together. We even had some new faces join and help!

Volunteers help to lighten the load, quite literally and donors keep us stocked with food and drink for the children. It’s quite an undertaking and we’re so happy for all of the people who are involved.

#snackpack #backpack #snacks #school #students #backtoschool #volunteers #donors

New and EASY way to help the Potsdam Snack Pack Program! Drop your cans and bottles off at @griffs_beverage_potsdam, mention it’s for Potsdam Snack Pack, and they’ll credit your redemption to our account! Every nickel helps with our goal of aiding childhood hunger here in Potsdam.

Big thank you to @tke_clarkson for jumping in to help us with a weekly bottle donation pickup! You guys are awesome and we really appreciate your willingness to serve the community 👏

#bottledrive #bottles #fundraising #fundraiser #donate #volunteer #snackpack #backpack #backtoschool #foodinsecurity #endhunger #childhoodhunger

The @potsdamcsd Back to School Fair was fantastic today! These young people from @tke_clarkson messaged me yesterday saying they were coming back into town for classes this weekend and offered to run over and help this morning 🙌 they really saved us time and energy and we are so happy they’re back ☺️

#college #fraternity #tke #clarkson #volunteer #donate #snackpack #backpack #backtoschool #schoolsupplies

Back to School Fair is in FULL SWING! We’ve got lots of supplies for ALL grades. Stop in until 1pm!

#backtoschool #schoolsupplies #school #today #stopby #volunteer #donate

The @potsdamcsd Back to School Fair wouldn’t be the same without a bounce house! A big THANK YOU to @captureculturepartyrentals for bringing this over for the kids to enjoy! See everyone tomorrow!

#backtoschool #school #schoolsupplies #volunteer #donate #ittakesavillage #bouncehouse #bounce #thankyou

We are packing school supplies for all grades! Binders, notebooks, folders, paper…following the school supply lists for each grade level @potsdamcsd to the best of our ability! A big shout out to our new sponsors today: Silver Sponsor: @stlvroasters and Gold sponsor: @jrecksubs We’re going out tomorrow morning to pick up more supplies thanks to you!!

Reminder: the Back to School Fair will be held Saturday August 24 from 10am-1pm at Potsdam High School gymnasium. Potsdam students will check in at the front desk and be directed to their grade level!

#school #backtoschool #schoolsupplies #sponsor #volunteer #donate #backpack #snackpack

First night of packing school supplies for the @potsdamcsd Back to School Fair. Fantastic volunteers this evening, they helped so much and we all laughed lots. I have yet to meet a young person who doesn’t like to help someone else. So much we can learn from them. ☺️

#volunteer #donate #backtoschool #school #schoolsupplies #backtoschoolfair #ittakesavillage #neighbors #kidsareawesome

Back at @humminbirdfishing bass_nation Elite Tournament today! Got ALL the kids to come and help promote the tri-beach-triathlon hosted by the Town and Village of Potsdam and supporting the Snack Pack programs in the area!

If you’re out and about this week, @foster_the_plant will be collecting school supplies all week to gear up for the Back to School Fair!

#fishing #bass #volunteer #donate #school #backtoschool #backpack #sponsor #triathlon #beach

If you’re out and about this weekend, stop up to the @bass_nation @humminbirdfishing tournament up in Whitaker Park on the St Lawrence River! We’re promoting the Potsdam Tri-Beach-Triathlon and collecting school supplies for the Back To School Fair!

#bassmaster #fishing #schoolsupplies #backpack #triathlon #potsdam #backtoschool #sponsor #fillthebus #snackpack

The Potsdam Back to School Fair is looking for SPONSORS and DONATIONS! There are different levels of sponsorships that get you a table at the event and marketing by the event. Donations can be purchased from the Amazon Wishlist (https://a.co/ffFh53J) and mailed directly to the program OR can be purchased and dropped off at @foster_the_plant Would love for anyone and everyone to help us help the kids!

#backtoschool #backtoschoolshopping #backtoschoolfair #school #schoolsupplies #sponsor #donate #donations #amazonwishlist #wishlist #backpack #volunteer

Thanks to the Town of Potsdam and the Villages of Norwood, Potsdam, and Hannawa Falls for celebrating such wonderful beaches and resources we have here with a triathlon connecting them. The money raised will benefit the Snack Pack Programs at Potsdam and Norwood-Norfolk ❤️ It should be a fun community event to get the school year started! Register online!

#triathlon #swimbikerun #school #snackpack #backpack #volunteer #fundraiser #backtoschool #beaches #community

2023-2024 Snack Pack is a wrap! Last drop off with the kids AND Gramma and Papa helping. This year has taken the support of friends, family, teachers, staff, volunteers, donors, and more. Although the school year is over, we are already starting to plan and fundraise for Potsdam’s Back-to-School Fair. Keep your eyes peeled for ways you can help!

#snackpack #backpack #backtoschool #snacks #fundraise #volunteer #foodinsecurity #endhunger

These kids are the best team anyone could ask for. ❤️

One more week of school means one more week of Snack Packs! We hope our first year at the helm was successful and that we were able to provide, even just a little, help and support to Potsdam students.

Almost time time to start planning the Back to School Fair! 📚 ✏️

#snackpack #summer #volunter #backpack #snacks #foodinsecurity #endhunger #volunteer #team #care #donate

Always the highlight of our week, serving with others to help those in need. This is our “Dream Team” of packers who rarely miss a week of volunteering and are always making us smile and laugh.

Three weeks left of Potsdam Snack Packing before summer break…it’s been a great, fun, and challenging first year for us!

#snackpack #backpack #foodbank #cnyfood #snacks #endhunger #volunteer #dreamteam #challenge #donate

Extra long holiday weekend for the kids means early Snack Pack packing at @foster_the_plant Cafe! We’ve got such a great crew of volunteer packers and have just 4 weeks left of this years Snack Pack Program!

#snackpack #backpack #snacks #volunteer #ittakesavillage #food #foodsecurity #kids #potsdam

Three of my favorite things about Thursday Snack Pack Packing Day! Cheyenne, Katelyn, and Dallas have smiles that are contagious and are always looking for ways to help. Devoted Snack Pack volunteers that you may see around town, Give them a shout out if you see them!

#snackpack #backpack #snacks #volunteer #snacking #hunger #nokidhungry #foodsecurity #kids #support

Early Snack Pack Packing Day! Shout out to all of the wonderful helpers we had today!! We packed 309 extra large snack packs for spring break week. Another week we are thanking @stewartsshops for donating milk cards and to @olliesoutlet for supporting our purchases there with a discount when we shop. Thank you to the @potsdamcsd teachers and staff as well as volunteers and donors who make this possible each week.

#snackpack #backpack #snacks #nokidhungry #volunteer #donate #potsdam #school

A BIG thank you to @stewartsshops for supporting the Potsdam Snack Pack Program with a Holiday Match Donation!

The Snack Pack Program distributes over 300 bags each week to students in the Potsdam school district as well as Potsdam Head Start. We are a non-profit organization that relies solely on donations and grants to support the food items we purchase to send home with students so they have something to eat over the weekend when they’re not at school. We also have been providing large bags of food for long weekends and week long breaks!

We are in the home stretch of the 23-24 school year and can’t thank everyone enough for their help this year both with monetary donations, food donations, and volunteer help packing and distributing.

Btw, we’re going to start planning for the summer Back to School Fair and will continue accepting donations through spring and summer months to help make it the best yet!

#snackpack #backpack #snacks #hunger #nokidhungry #donate #volunteer #stewarts #backtoschool #holidaymatch

Thursday nights are when the Schulte Family heads out to deliver Snack Packs to the Middle School! We stick together and have fun each week. We are so lucky to have such wonderful kids by our side learning, growing, and helping their neighbors. ❤️

#snackpack #backpack #snacks #nokidhungry #helpyourneighbor #volunteer #donate #forthekids

Another BIG Thank You to @tke_clarkson @tke_fraternity They have continued to be a great supporter of the Potsdam Snack Pack Program. This week we not only packed snacks but we packed enough goodies for everyone to make tacos at home. So thankful for extra hands to pack and all the teachers and staff who make sure the students receive their snack packs to take home.

Back at it in two weeks and need to restock our pantry! Any and all donations are welcome to help us!
https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=vJywy7FzyNmLm8dgY45H-U7wyvC7zgNBUPbA690oD7ifWk7xOfLPfI0oyPekNBBj6KaYZ3vL0kT_CItA

#snacks #snackpack #backpack #tacos #endhunger #volunteer #helpingothers #donate #community #villagelife

Shout out to @tke_fraternity here at @clarksonuniv for stepping up to help the Snack Pack Program again! They gave us a call to help out during @mlkdayofservice and bagged over 300 snack packs to be handed out to students this week. We are able to feed students each weekend with the help of volunteers like these young men and monetary donations. Our community is amazing, thank you 🫶TKE

#snackpack #backpack #foodsecurity #snacks #nonprofit #feedthechildren #donate #volunteer #mlkday #potsdam #community #village #school

It’s a busy week of stocking up, organizing, and packing! Supplying over 300 snack packs to Headstart and Potsdam Central School District is no easy feat! Any help or donations are appreciated! Big thank you to @olliesbargainoutlet in Massena for helping us out with some supplies this week!

#snackpack #snacks #nokidhungry #donate #volunteer #thankyou #supplies #food #weekend #backpack

Potsdam Snack Pack continues to deliver weekly snack packs to over 300 students in the Potsdam School District. How do we make it all happen week after week?

There is a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers who pack bags each week as well as groups who come in for packing parties.

Food donations and monetary donations are ways we are able to provide the food items in the bags each week.

Then there is the never ending support from family and friends who step in and step up whenever we may need it.

It takes a village for sure.

#snackpack #backpack #foodsecurity #food #donate #ittakesavillage #snacks #forthekids #community #volunteer

We had FANTASTIC helpers today at packing! A big thank you to Potsdam middle schoolers who came over to help us pack *307* snack packs this week! It takes a village each week to get this done and we’re so happy these kids are part of our village ☺️

#snackpack #backpack #snacks #ittakesavillage #snacking #students #donate #volunteer #support #local #foodsecurity

We hope that the big snack pack last week was able to help the kids make it through the school break! We have been stocking our room up for a few days now to be ready for the coming weeks of school before the next big winter break.

Get ready! Tomorrow is packing day then heading home with kiddos for the weekend!

#snackpack #snacks #donate #foodbank #packing #feedamerica #school #backpack

It took 6 loads in the car so we could send 305 kids home with extra large snack packs for the holiday week! Thanks to EVERYONE who helped this week. It takes a village.

#snackpack #backpack #feedingamerica #food #donate #volunteer #ittakesavillage

SHOUT OUT to @tke_clarkson for packing snack packs for Thanksgiving break week! Students are getting extra items for the extra days they’re off next week. 305 bags each with 12 items in it equaling 3,660 food items we’re handing out.

Want to help fill these bags each week? And pack extra items for the holiday breaks coming up? Donate now and we’ll make sure we keep things going strong. https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=qyQyM6KsdoQdRoCAmAQcFCwjAIVa3C6GDLKHOoEvooXMNN9xOnxcBPsYV_nfFcVLmdjQrs3QUoJFvD42

#snackpack #backpack #snacks #meals #packingparty #tke #feedingamerica #hunger #feedingkids #support #donate

A BIG thank you to Brenton Kirby of @harborfreight for donating paper bags with handles for snack packs. With these we can give students a nice big snack pack for Thankgsgiving recess and utilize environmentally conscious bags!

#snackpack #thanksgiving #harborfreight #donate #donations #foodsecurity #snack #break #volunteer #paper #paperbag #environment #recycle

THANKFUL for the support from @sunypotsdam All Greek Council! Food Drive all week this week!!! This is much needed as we head into the holiday breaks for the students and want to provide snack packs through these breaks to help with hunger.

We’re always looking for support by way of food drives and fundraisers. Contact us if you’d like to set something up!

#snackpack #sunypotsdam #suny #fooddrive #allgreekcouncil #greek #donate #participate #potsdam

Packing 300 snack packs with extra snacks this week for the long weekend! Thanks to the amazing packing team who came out to @foster_the_plant to pack this morning. And a big shout out to all of the donors, we couldn’t do this each week without your continued support. It takes between $1200-$1500 per week to provide this many snack packs so we are continually looking for monetary donations so we can buy items in bulk. Interested in donating? Follow the PayPal link here:
https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=6Itwk-5mPcui2q_i9P29GjfWYdL56NM58glJmfVfwo8MNeLC_K1QMu6c9P-6fIoRfu7ca7Ek8O6OQp-f

#snackpack #snacks #food #potsdam #donate #foodsecurity #support

Guess where Snack Pack is packing this week?! 💚🌱 @foster_the_plant

#snackpack #potsdamsnackpack #snacks #localsupport #volunteer #packing #fostertheplant #cafe #shoplocal #smallbusiness

Week #2 of Potsdam Snack Pack program and we packaged almost 300 bags for kids to take home for the weekend. Each week is a huge undertaking from getting the products, organizing the lists, packing the bags, and delivery….just to turn around and start the process all over again! So thankful for the dedicated volunteers who pack and for this weeks special delivery helper, Mila ❤️

We can’t do this without support from the community. It takes close to $1200 per week to fill these bags. Better, more nutritious products bring that price up even more. Want to help fill these bags but don’t have time? Think about donating to Snack Pack here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=AlnkihtciSTi1SU_s0tMeRPhPrJ8waNZSL7Msar6446EVr4oacpFquVMXXeM6ex4Du3Tz_BJ1UlLB7xF

#snackpack #backpack #snacks #feedkids #school #volunteer #donate #community #potsdam #week2

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440-623-0284

Email

info@potsdamsnackpack.org

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200 Market St #228

Potsdam, NY 13676-1275