COUNCIL BLUFFS — The Council Bluffs Downtown Kiwanis Club raises money through events such as spaghetti dinners and pancake feeds so it can fund projects that directly benefit children.
The club also donates 100 backpacks filled with school supplies to the Council Bluffs school district every September.
On Saturday, the club found another way to help local youths.
At the group's midyear convention, held at Abraham Lincoln High School, the organization collected snack items for 12 elementary schools, two middle schools, two high schools and an alternative school.
Roger Carlon, spokesman for the Nebraska-Iowa Kiwanis District, said it's been a tradition for the past several years to have a service project, so the Kiwanians contacted the school district and asked for a suggestion.
District spokeswoman Diane Ostrowski spoke to school officials.
"She told us healthy snacks would be a good idea — nonperishable snack items for kids who come to school hungry," Carlon said.
The convention hit Council Bluffs on the same day as the snowstorm, so the gathering drew fewer club members than expected.
"The weather played havoc with attendance. We had hoped for 350 people and we got 125 hardy souls," Carlon said.
However, they delivered three boxes of healthful snacks.
"We use the snacks in elementary schools when students come in who are obviously hungry, or who appear to need a snack," Ostrowski said.
Said Carlon: "Unfortunately, there are students who come to school hungry every day."
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