A huge swarm of students rush toward the cheesy aroma drifting from the Bulldog Lobby craving an afterschool-snack as the final bell rings. However, this aroma is now but a memory as pizza is out and healthy snacks are in.
CHS is now complying with the USDA Smart Snacks in School program which will prohibit clubs and sports teams from selling some brands of pizza or other unhealthy food options that contain more than 35 percent calories from fat. These new regulations affect the fundraising goals of many clubs at CHS.
“I don’t think selling healthy foods is effective to raise money because after school everyone wants a treat, like pizza or a doughnut,” CHS Makuyu club president Dan Kossoy said. “For example, people can bring granola bars from home. Pizza is spontaneous; no one could have brought a hot pizza from home. I wouldn’t imagine kids buying apples and granola bars.”
The Makuyu club raises money to help underprivileged kids in Kenya obtain better education and fight malnutrition. Last year, over a two-week span, the club used pizza sales to raise over $350 to help get kids tested for ringworm.
The Makuyu club’s plans for this year are to help raise funds to remodel parts of the Makuyu Education Centre in Kenya. However, they’ve had to get creative when it comes to fundraising. The club plans on selling T-shirts and wristbands in order to fundraise and local shopping centers, but are skeptical of how well that will work.
“With the T-shirts, people may not buy it, so we may lose profit,” Kossoy said. “Each day we are essentially trying to figure out ways to raise money.”
The volleyball team also sold pizza to fundraise for its Dig Pink game to raise awareness for breast cancer.
According to setter Danielle Firer, the CHS volleyball team raised $626 to benefit breast cancer awareness.
“I feel like the guidelines are supposed to help and they have good intentions, but they don’t really work because you can get unhealthy options on your own at the Cabin John shopping center,” Firer said.
According to Firer, the volleyball team raffled off prizes such as a gift card from Starbucks, but the raffle did not raise as much money as selling pizza and other snacks.
“We could go to different shopping centers and fundraise on weekends,” Firer said. “However, fundraising in schools informs students of our cause.”
In school, fundraising groups can not sell Potomac Pizza or Broadway Pizza because they do not meet the nutritional standards. However, students can sell Domino’s pizza with a portion size of a one-eighth slice of a medium cheese pizza, and Papa John’s pizza with a portion size of a one-tenth slice of light cheese pizza.
Other snacks that are permitted include Pop Chips, Cheez-Itz, reduced fat Doritos, Nutrigrain Bars and Goldfish Cheddar Crackers. However, carbonated beverages, such as soda, do not meet the regulations and can not be sold afterschool.
