Volunteer-Run Snack Bars Sustain School Athletics

Whether you’re a student athlete catching your breath after a game or a team parent looking for a bite after filming clips of your kid in action, the snack bar at a sports game has become a communal destination for players and families alike. 

Snack bars are run by parent and student volunteers to supply game spectators with refreshments like pizza, nachos, soda or chips. Varsity girls basketball captain senior Madison Shih’s mom, Charlotte Shih, has volunteered at the snack bar for seven years. 

“[Snack bars] are a necessity,” Shih said. “[Basketball] games run from 3:30 to 8:00 p.m. Most people are not able to eat before the event and will get hungry. We are there to [provide for] students who attend our games. Anything for our students, right?” 

Those sales in turn help sports raise money to support their teams. At each game, girls basketball typically sells around $500 worth of products with $300 in profit. That same money goes to feeding players in between games and funding team events, such as holiday parties and banquets. 

Girls volleyball, on the other hand, also puts the money they earn from snack bar sales into purchasing new balls every year and are hoping to fundraise for a team room next. Whenever athletes are not playing, many of them take on the responsibility of overseeing the snack bar and keeping track of sales. 

“Our girls run the money, so it’s really big that they’re trusted by us,” volleyball head coach and math teacher Katie Meier said. “All of it goes back to them, so it’s a shift in the evening that they’re required to do.” 

Along with more well-known snacks, girls volleyball also began selling homemade baked potatoes with Meier’s encouragement. 

“I used to play for the program and I remember my mom making baked potatoes,” Meier said. “It went away for a little bit and then when I took over the program, I remember girls being excited to come to our high school to get the baked potatoes, so I wanted it to come back and our moms were really excited to do that. It’s become a staple for us that other schools look forward to.” 

Despite the benefits that snack bars deliver, running them also comes with challenges, like a shortage of volunteers to work the booths. 

“At least for varsity, there’s not that many of us and JV and frosh play at the same time,” varsity volleyball player junior Leilah Salonga said. “So we need to distribute jobs between the new gym, the main gym and the snack bar. There’s just limited people, but we all know how the [snack bar] is supposed to run and that knowledge makes it easier.” 

When they’re not physically selling food, parent volunteers also need to buy the necessary items, take inventory for the next sale and transport products to and from home. Shih notes that more willing parent volunteers would help alleviate the stress of those tasks. 

“Our snack bar challenge has always been getting volunteers to help sell the items. It’s always the same group of volunteers at each snack bar,” Shih said. “Some years we are lucky and will get a big group of parents. Some years there will be just a few.” 

However, aside from students and parents, school custodians and staff also regularly contribute with setting and cleaning up for snack bar sales. They supply tables, extension cords, ice for drinks and other materials necessary to make sure the snack bars run smoothly. 

“Our school custodians and staff have always been super helpful,” Shih said. “Snack bar is a lot of work. We couldn’t do it without their constant help.” 

On top of feeding spectators and serving as fundraisers, snack bars help teams strengthen community enjoyment and morale for their games. 

“It’s just a way of creating an environment of fun where it’s not just an exciting game, but you also get to share a meal with some friends,” Meier said.