Amana Academy: Lunch Support for Students

Amana Academy is a K–8 public charter school with a passion for providing high quality instruction to students in our area. Their integrated STEM program emphasizes ethical stewardship and character development in every student. 

Nema Jackson, the Nutrition Program Manager at Amana Academy, plays a vital role in ensuring that these bright young minds have the nourishment they need to reach their full potential. She provides breakfast and lunch for more than 700 students a day. Given the diverse socioeconomic backgrounds of the students, with 50 percent qualifying for free and reduced lunch aid from the state, there are still many who fall just short of this cutoff and need some help.

“Hunger and food insecurity—it looks like any child you see on the playground, in the park, or sitting next to you at church,” Nema explains. “The inability to afford school meals is not always a lack of income. Sometimes, it comes down to a lack of allotment. Families stretch paychecks in many directions, and school meals sometimes don't make the list.”

Understanding that healthy school meals are crucial for students’ physical, emotional, and academic success, Amana Academy made a commitment that no child would go hungry. Regardless of the sacrifices it would require, leadership decided they would not turn away any child in the lunch line. However, this decision led to a financial deficit of $10,000 at the end of the school year. While they were prepared to absorb the costs, that money would have taken away from the educational opportunities they could offer their students. 

That’s where you stepped in. 

Your Be Rich donations covered those costs entirely. Your generosity helped Amana Academy provide over 2,000 meals for children facing hunger and food insecurity—that’s 2,000 smiles in the Amana Academy lunch line made possible by your giving.

Niki Fox, Director of Communications at Amana Academy, shared, “We are beyond grateful to the North Point community for their ongoing partnership in helping us realize our mission of preparing students for high academic achievement beyond what they think possible so they become active contributors to building a better world.”

Thank you for making a difference.