The Boys & Girls Club of Ridgefield’s high school Character and Leadership program was recently selected to receive a ‘Make Your Mark on Hunger’ grant, sponsored by ConAgra, on behalf of GenerationOn.  As a grantee, the Keystone Club accepted a $500 Visa gift card to use towards their proposed youth-led hunger relief service project, providing children at the Inspirica Homeless Shelter with healthy snacks after school.

In selecting a grantee, GenerationOn was calling for an innovative project that served three main areas of need: Education and Advocacy, Health and Environment, and Direct Service Work. After applying for the Grant, Will Twomey, active Keystone Club member, received the grant on behalf of Keystone Club to carry out their mission.

“Proper nutrition is one of the most important lessons we can teach children, as it enables them to live a healthy lifestyle and take care of their bodies. Too many kids are deprived the simple privilege of a healthy after-school snack, and I, along with my fellow Keystone members, intend to change that,” explained Twomey.

The Keystone Club plans to use the grant money to purchase a variety of nutritious snacks to be organized into "snackpacks" for the Inspirica homeless shelter, located in Stamford, CT. The shelter runs an after-school program so children in the community have a safe, positive environment in which to play sports, do their homework, and receive academic tutoring. Once Keystone prepares and delivers the snackpacks, they will be distributed to the children every day after school, providing them with a tasty, healthy snack, while also teaching them basic knowledge regarding nutrition.

“Raising awareness is crucial to solving any social issue, and this project will aid the cause.”