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Students showcase projects; snack‑cabinet organizers ask board for $200,000 to sustain program
Summary
Students presented a business incubator winner (Nutri) and other showcases; student volunteers and mutual‑aid supporters reported distributing over 12,000 snacks via four daily snack cabinets and asked the board to fund the program (proposal ~ $200,000) so it can scale beyond student fundraising.
Students showcased a series of in‑school projects at the May 28 Oak Park and River Forest board meeting, then appealed to the board for program funding.
Three entrepreneurship students described Nutri, an app that scans a refrigerator or pantry and generates culturally and nutritionally tailored recipes; the students said the app reached quarterfinals in a national pitch competition and is available for beta testing at nutri.net.
Separately, a 14‑student group updated the board on a student‑led snack‑cabinet initiative. “As of May 13, we have stocked four cabinets every day with a thousand snacks a day. In total, we have distributed more than 12,000 snacks,” student Ray told the board. The student organizers said a survey of 475 peers found nearly 80% had seen the cabinets and nearly 40% had taken a snack; they estimate several hundred students have used the service. The students said they have the community support of more than 100 individual donors but requested district funding — the proposal on file with the superintendent requests roughly $200,000 to sustain and expand the program rather than rely on student fundraising.
Molly Hurdle, representing OPRF High School Mutual Aid, told the board the mutual‑aid group supports the students and urged the board to place the funding proposal on the next budget vote. Board members and administration acknowledged receipt of the proposal and noted the district’s budget calendar and upcoming FTE/budget discussions.
The board did not take an immediate vote on the funding request; students asked the board to bring the proposal to a future vote.
