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Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee urges donations for Backpack Snacks program
Summary
Members of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee from Pinetop‑Lakeside presented to the Show Low City Council on behalf of the nonprofit Backpack Snacks, requesting donations and listing local drop‑off sites to help address weekend food insecurity among schoolchildren.
Representatives of the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee (MYAC) from Pinetop‑Lakeside addressed the Show Low City Council to promote Backpack Snacks, a local nonprofit that supplies nonperishable weekend food packages to students.
Grace Smithson, chair of the MYAC, said, “About one in seven kids in Navajo County face food insecurity,” and described the program’s weekend food bags—nonperishable items such as mac and cheese, canned soup and ravioli, ramen noodles, fruit cups and granola bars—that volunteers bag for distribution on Thursdays or Fridays. Smithson said Backpack Snacks serves roughly 40 to 50 students in the Blue Ridge School District and about 90 to 100 students in the Show Low School District.
Smithson and other MYAC members provided drop‑off locations for donations: Show Low elementary schools, Blue Ridge High School, Helmet the Jeweler and Pinetop‑Lakeside Town Hall. The group also said there is an Amazon wishlist and a Venmo account listed on outreach materials.
Council members thanked the students and suggested placing a donation box at City Hall or the library; staff indicated they would coordinate placement after the meeting. The presentation was part of the council’s public comment segment; no formal council action was required or taken on the request.
