Zoe Zawisa – Lead Associate – Student Engagement

Washington – April 29, 2025

At Bellaire High School in Houston Texas, springtime means students spend their lunch break spread around campus: sharing snacks at the picnic tables, sunbathing on the quad with their friends, and finishing last minute homework on the school steps. These meeting places represent a cornerstone of the high school experience, where sharing food becomes a vehicle for building community, strengthening friendships, and supporting overall wellbeing.  

On Thursday April 24^th, the Bellaire SCAN club, led by Student Ambassador Elly Z., organized a potluck to showcase the foundation of these campus traditions: access to affordable nutritious meals. With over 40 students in attendance, students learned how child hunger affects the Houston community and that SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, supports families struggling to meet their basic nutritional needs. After the training, attendees signed SCAN’s SNAP petition urging their lawmakers to protect SNAP and the nearly 14 million children who rely on the program to access healthy meals. 

“But we didn’t stop there. Rather than limiting outreach to those physically present, I encouraged each member to send the petition link to at least two additional people, expanding our outreach beyond the room,” says Elly Z.  

In the final minutes of their lunch break, club members and event attendees canvassed around campus, asking students to send urgent messages to their lawmakers to preserve critical SNAP funding in the upcoming legislative sessions.  

Elly Z. reflected on the canvassing, “Being confident and proactive—explaining what SNAP is, why it matters, and offering a bonus, such as a cookie—really helped engage people effectively.”  

Before the final bell rang, Bellaire’s SCAN advocates had transformed their lunch hour into action—capturing over 150 signatures to defend SNAP funding and prove that hunger doesn’t stand a chance when students stand together.