When SNAP Was in Jeopardy, District 742 Stepped In
In late 2025, uncertainty around federal SNAP (food assistance) benefits wasn’t just a headline – it hit families here in the St. Cloud area hard. In District 742, where most of our students live at or below the poverty line and many families rely on SNAP to afford groceries, the threat of a pause in benefits added stress to households already stretched thin.
What We Did: Feeding 742 Kids
To help fill the gap and ensure no student goes hungry, District 742 partnered with the Local Education & Activities Foundation (LEAF) to start Feeding 742 Kids, a food-security program providing direct, no-barrier support to families.
Through Feeding 742 Kids, families had access to:
- Weekly drive-up food distributions with groceries, milk, bread, and fresh produce
- School-based pantries and conference-night pick-ups with food and essentials
The program is open to any District 742 family who needs support, with no paperwork or eligibility requirements — an approach rooted in dignity, trust, and care.
Why This Work Continues — and How You Can Help
While the immediate SNAP pause scare has passed for now, the need has not. Food insecurity remains a daily reality for many District 742 families, and Feeding 742 Kids continues to be an essential layer of support throughout the school year.
This work is sustained by LEAF donors who believe that meeting basic needs is foundational to student success. If you feel called to support this ongoing effort, a gift to the Feeding 742 Kids Fund helps ensure food remains available to students and families whenever it’s needed — not just in moments of crisis, but every day.
Your generosity helps provide consistency, stability, and care for students in our community. Thank you for standing with District 742 families and for helping ensure that every child has the nourishment they need to learn, grow, and thrive.
Learn more about Feeding 742 Kids here: https://leaf742.org/feeding-742-kids/