Group Members: Vinnie Barr, Nick Brecke, Tiffany Nguyen, Kourtney Olver, Sarah-Jane Sherwood, Sophia Waters.
The problem we identified within our group was how some students do not have some of their basic needs fulfilled, and the one we focused on was food insecurity and disparities. This is a very big issue within our community that needs to be addressed because food is fueled to minds that are constantly growing and changing, especially in younger students. Food is an important tool to learn as well as develop properly. If kids experience food insecurity of any sort, it tends to set them back among their peers and give them further developmental setbacks.
When looking at the core cause of food insecurities in kids’ lives, there can be many different reasons why they end up in that situation. It could be they have grown up in
poverty and can’t afford food, or they just can’t afford healthy and nutritious food due to high food costs/inflation. No matter what the reason is, food insecurities are a large problem all around the world, and even the smallest things we can do to help can impact people in the biggest ways.
The solution criteria for the Small Wins group project is that it must be the achievement of a goal or task consistent with the definition of a group from our text. That is, the project includes three or more persons interacting who both influence and are influenced by one another. (Rothwell, 2019, p. 24). The Small Wins project must include a community service component, with our group determining what is both our “community” and who is being “served.” However, the project must have an actionable activity that is conducted by all the members. Further, the project must be accomplished within the provided timeline of four weeks, along with required documentation and support as described in the assignment. Lastly, the project needs to be consistent with Green River College’s guidelines for the safety and security of students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We had two solution options we thought would be effective, our first idea was organizing our own food drive, by reaching out to a local food bank and determining what kind of need they had, passing out flyers and setting up a booth for donations on the day listed on the flyer. Our second solution was to aid the Backpack Buddies charity and assist with the bag building and distribution on one of their scheduled workdays. We immediately fell in love with the idea of working with this charity, having existing infrastructure we could slot in, and help, felt approachable. Knowing that this was a need that existed within the Maple Valley school community, and the organization already had a presence there to assist those kids in need quickly moved it up to our first pick.
Based on our problem identified, we brainstormed and chose the Backpack Buddies as our Small Win over some other ideas presented. Firstly, the Backpack Buddies is something we could easily connect to and access due to one of our group members’ relationship with one of the organizers. After learning that, we discussed what the Backpack Buddies do for the community and how they are providing food for children in need which led to our eventual concrete selection of the date in which we would go help out.
To implement our solution, our group partnered with Backpack Buddies to help support students in the Maple Valley community who experience food insecurity. We coordinated with one of the program organizers to choose a volunteer day when our group could help assemble food bags that are distributed to students in need. On the scheduled day, all group members participated in packing non-perishable food items into bags that would be given to local students for the weekend. Each member helped sort food, organize supplies, and pack the bags efficiently. By working together, our group successfully contributed to the Backpack Buddies program. This allowed us to support children facing food insecurity while completing our Small Wins community service project within the required timeline.
We, as Public Relation group have completed Backpack Buddies by connecting with the local non-profit organization. By packing bags of food, we have helped children in our community gain access to meals and snacks. This project was a great opportunity for us to connect with new people and continue volunteering our time with this organization. By completing this project, we have met the requirements within the Small Wins Chapter in the textbook (Rothwell, 2019, p.24). Our community service has had a positive impact on these children by providing access to more food resources. Additionally, we motivated one another to stay committed and show up for these children. Overall, this was a meaningful and rewarding experience that we will carry with us moving forward.
“Home.” Backpack Buddies of Maple Valley, 21 Apr. 2025, backpackbuddiesofmaplevalley.org/.
Howard, Larry L. “Transitions between Food Insecurity and Food Security Predict Children’s Social Skill Development during Elementary School.” British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 105, no. 12, 2011, pp. 1852–1860.
Rabbitt, M. P., et al. Household Food Security in the United States in 2023. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2024. https://doi.org/10.32747/2024.8583175.ers
Rothwell, J. D. In Mixed Company: Communicating in Small Groups and Teams. 11th ed., Oxford University Press, 2021.
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