Peanut butter locker program benefits Blytheville students

BLYTHEVILLE, AR (KAIT) - Coaches at Blytheville schools work to keep their athletes nourished on and off the field.

Blytheville Athletic Director David Hixson said the school started the peanut butter locker program 2 years ago.

Members of the Blytheville community helped get the program off the ground by donating bread, peanut butter and jelly.

Hixson said the program helped give the kids the nutrition they needed to excel during the off season.

"When we did this, it was just for football kids," Hixson said. "We have so many other kids that play different sports."

After doing some research on how he could help other student athletes, Hixson said he came across a program started by first lady Michelle Obama that provides meals to at risk youth.

"In Blytheville, 80% of our kids have free or reduced lunch which means they're at the poverty level or below," Hixson said. "I was real concerned about kids not being fed properly and the demands of sports, so I enrolled and got in on this program 3 years ago."

With the help of the federally funded program, Hixson said they are able to feed all student athletes a meal or snack.

Hixson said he and other coaches have noticed the students are performing better in the classroom with the help of the program.

If you would like to make a donation of bread, peanut butter or jelly, contact David Hixson at 870-740-0671 or Ben Fisher at 870-623-1714.