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Campbell parents serve nutritious snacks to students
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Campbell Middle SchoolÕs Smoothie Moms, from left, Charlet Hankey, Stella Opencar and Anna Koulianos, mix up batches of strawberry and banana smoothies. Monday was the first day of their weeklong bake sale at the school. They have their sales one week a month..
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Cindy Slaney delivers healthy snacks and smoothies..
By Jeanne Starmack
CAMPBELL
Berry, berry smooth — nine moms got together and figured out a way to get nutritious snacks into their middle-schoolers.
There’s a little trickery involved: They use more-healthful ingredients such as applesauce instead of oil in their baked goods, with delicious results.
But the key to attracting kids to their bake-sale table for one week a month at the Campbell Middle and Elementary school building is smoothies — sweet, cold, whipped drinks made with real fruit and yogurt.
“It’s a kid thing,” said Caliope Cunning, one of the Smoothie Moms, at the bake sale Monday.
Kids love smoothies, she said, and several of them among the many customers at the table agreed.
“I think they’re real good,” said Caliope’s son, Nicholas, 10, who washes down carrot cupcakes with them.
Fifth-grader George Koulianos, whose mother, Anna, is also one of the smoothie operators, said he has always loved them.
“I think they’re healthy for you,” he said.
“It’s really healthy, and it tastes good,” said Kaitlyn Blanchard, 10.
“I like how my mom works it and bakes good stuff,” said Maddie Rosile, 10.
Behind the table, the moms blend drink mix that they buy at GFS in Boardman with yogurt, strawberries and bananas.
Next to trays of smoothies are the baked goods — including buttermilk or blueberry coffee cake and “cupcakes” that are actually muffins hiding under icing.
Rounding out the healthful snack offerings are apples and caramel dip, celery stuffed with cream cheese, Sun Chips, flavored applesauces, fruit snacks and — proving there’s always room for it, even on the Smoothie Moms’ overstuffed table — Jell-O.
“I like the apple with the caramel,” said Kalli Iatropoulos, 10.
Cunning said schools Superintendent Thomas Robey asked her to come up with healthful alternatives for bake sales, and this summer, she thought of selling smoothies because her own three sons love them. The moms, who also include Venita Sweeney-Gray, Sylvia Iatropoulos, Sherri Levendis, Charlet Hankey, Stella Opencar, Lisa Rosile and Cindy Slaney, began their bake sales in September, making $1,200, said Cunning.
After expenses, the proceeds from the sales go into a fund kept by Marcia Ruse, middle-school principal, for activities and field trips. The money will help defray costs for kids who want to go to the YMCA’s Camp Fitch in Erie or to Washington, D.C.
“These ladies are wonderful,” said Ruse. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”
The moms also are offering T-shirts for sale, which list the ingredients of their school: pride, respect, tradition, loyalty and diversity. They cost $10 each and are available at the middle-school office. Proceeds from the shirts also benefit the principal’s fund.