by Alexandria Millet
Families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and across the country have received snacks for their children because of the efforts of The Snack Sack, led by Chamieka House-Osuya. The Snack Sack is a mutual aid fund that is helping families in the midst of COVID-19.
“I think that programs like Snack Sack are so important because in a really difficult time like this everybody is struggling,” House-Osuya said. “It’s one of those things that in some ways, some shape or form has touched someone you know, or unfortunately may touch most people.”
After all schools across Wisconsin were closed, the mother of three noticed how expensive feeding kids that are now home all day would get for her own family and began to think about other less fortunate families in the community. This is not uncommon with her role as an Milwaukee Public Schools administrator for family and community engagement.
“For me, it’s always been about meeting the need, meeting people where they’re at right now,” House-Osuya said.
She began a Facebook fundraiser to help families and the donations came in at a rapid speed. The Snack Sack was born and started meeting the needs of those in the community. Families create their wishlist of snacks and other essential items for their children and Snack Sack fulfills those requests. The campaign also hosts movie nights for families as a fun activity.
Snack Sack has helped over 350 families in 29 states across the United States. Most of the families helped are in the Milwaukee and Madison communities, but with House-Osuya’s large Facebook following she was not surprised when she received requests from California and New York.
“I knew that I couldn’t fix everybody’s problems, you know, but I wanted to be a part of the solution in some sort of way,” House-Osuya said.
Many mutual aid organizations were created across the country since the onset of COVID-19. Snack Sack being a mutual aid is what, according to House-Osuya, makes the campaign exactly what communities need.
“Often voices are getting blurred out by people who think they know what’s best for them. I think that it’s best to try to empower people as much as we can to take control of their own lives,” House-Osuya said.
Her grassroots efforts have run into issues of sustaining fundraising compared to large nonprofit organizations during COVID. She found that donors were more comfortable with the well known nonprofits instead of direct aid, despite her impact.
“We all sit back as the people and say, well, we have all these nonprofit organizations that are in these cities and are supposed to be offering aid to people. But we see no changes and that’s a problem,” House-Osuya said.
The Snack Sack has raised over $13,000 to date supporting families across the country. House-Osuya is hopeful for what this means for grassroots efforts.
“I do think the world is really waking up to mutual aid and I think it’s starting to become not only a trend but a preference and very popular option to give to those in need.” House-Osuya said.
In the process of fulfilling orders all addresses remain confidential. No one should have to sacrifice their integrity to get help according to House-Osuya.
Alice Hibbler, a Milwaukee resident, was one of those families that received help from the Snack Sack. The mother of three while working from home found her family in need and heard about Snack Sack through Facebook.
“When my daughter received her snack, she was really excited,” Hibbler said. “I think this helps keep a smile on kids’ faces too.”
Hibbler believes it is important for the community to come together and support each other. When she was able to give financially to Snack Sack she did because of her positive experience.
“This has inspired me to continue to assist and help families,” Hibbler said, “And that’s why when I was able to, I donated back because someone else made a donation to help me and my children.”
The encouraging words from families is what keeps House-Osuya doing Snack Sack. At the peak of COVID she was receiving 20 to 30 requests a day. Some families decided to send pictures and thank you messages to The Snack Sack for their help.
“It just gives me the motivation to keep going and keep advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves,” House-Osuya said.