Chew on This.

Karceski, Rachel

Do you trash the brown-bag turkey and swiss on rye for Doritos and Twizzlers from the snack machine? Grab a Mountain Dew for a quick rush before algebra? Seems students are hooked on the sweets their schools are dependent on to raise funds. But schools lose lotsa loot if they pull the plug on the machines--Coca-Cola and Pepsi contracts raise thousands of dollars a year for computers, teacher training and athletics. Did Coke buy your school's scoreboard? Quite possibly. Win-win? Well, parents in New York are crying foul! They say the vending machines should be turned off during lunch or that healthful snacks need to be an option, The solution? Seems the New York Board of Education has agreed to offer only nutritious snacks, like granola bars and juices, during lunch. The practice of prohibiting vending machine use during the hours of breakfast and lunch might ensure that students are eating properly. How else can you raise money for your school without stacking up on Munchos? YOU can always raise funds for sch ool programs by selling pizza kits and gift wrap. And before you toss the brown bag in the trash compactor, keep in mind how much love mom spreads onto that whole wheat along with the PB&J.