SNAP after-school program plants 'seeds of hope' in south Cape

Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please (SNAP) will be planting “seeds of hope” within Cape Girardeau through GROW Afterschool Kids Club, a free creative program for children age 4 to 18.

SNAP organization coordinator Felice Patton said the idea for an after-school program at 500 S. Frederick St. stemmed from seeing a need for students to “grow in arts and crafts, in character and in God.”

The event’s first day was Saturday with nearly 30 children in attendance, she said.

Through collaboration with Local Blooms Farm in Jackson, children will gain hands-on experience with educational programming, community gardens, horticulture therapy, peer support and recovery outreach.

“It’s been our goal to work on this violence that has been plaguing the south side of Cape,” Patton said. “We wanted to connect with the community in mental health services, community resources and redirect the effects of murder and violence.”

Quincy, right, sings next to Je'Caryous during GROW Afterschool Kids Club on Wednesday at the SNAP Outreach Center in Cape Girardeau. The Southeast Missourian was asked to only include children's first names for identification.Jacob Wiegand

And with the recent acquisition of SNAP’s new facility, Patton said she and the center’s volunteers have remained busy creating and implementing new programs catered to children.

“We want to grow; with the community and with the kids club,” she said. “We just want to care for the communities, care for the families. It’s awesome, but it takes a lot of volunteers.”

The focus is achievement, she said, and children will earn badges, similar to honors earned in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

As a finale highlighting the kids club, a program is set for Dec. 21 at St. James AME Church in Cape Girardeau.

“They know they’re going to get a lot of care, and that’s what we’re about,” Patton said of the after-school program.

SNAP works in conjunction with Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri and offers a resource center to address mental health issues and needs within the area.

Patton originally founded SNAP when her son, Quinton David Combs, died in 2015 due to an act of violence, which led to the determination to “bring awareness to the community.”

The after-school program continues from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays through December.

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