Of Funyuns, Skinny Pop, and iced tea: How Jack brought healthy snacks to his school

TAMPA – It was July 2024, and Jack Canterbury celebrated a birthday. His 14^th. That led to a question he had been waiting a while to ask his mother.

“Can I get a job?”

Maria Canterbury had promised her son he could start working when he reached that age, and Jack had some employment opportunities in mind. Making subs at a sandwich shop. Bussing tables at a restaurant. Playing in the NBA, but he knew he was too young for that.

Well …, said Maria.

Jack, who has Down syndrome, was about to enter the seventh grade at Morning Star School. He attended the K-8 Catholic school in Tampa for students with learning disabilities on a Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA), managed by Step Up For Students.

Morning Star does not have a cafeteria, so the only food available to students and staff during the day is whatever they bring for lunch.

After some thought, mom and son had what Maria described as a “bright idea.”

How about a vending machine at the school that sells healthy snacks and drinks? They have a close family friend who is in the vending machine business. Surely, he could help them out.

“Jack loved it,” Maria said.

But would anyone else? Would Morning Star Principal Eileen Odom go for the idea? Would parents, ever mindful of what their children eat, allow them to buy a snack out of a machine?

The answer to both questions was a resounding yes.

Odom knew of an empty space in a mid-campus hallway that was just the right size for a vending machine. Her maintenance staff agreed, saying they would do whatever it took to make it work.

“The spot couldn’t have been more perfect,” Maria said. “It was just waiting for a vending machine. It was meant to be.”

The family friend gave them a deal on a used vending machine, and SNacks by jACK 321 opened for business early in the 2024-25 school year.

“It’s been a nice treat for our students,” Odom said. “We started small, because we didn’t know how parents would react to snacks at school, but it just took off.”

Maria said the whole family came up with the name of Jack’s business – She and her husband Jason, Jack and his sister, Kate.

The capital letters spell “snack,” and 321 is for Trisomy 21, which is the medical term for Down syndrome. Also, March 21 (3/21) is World Down Syndrome Day.

SNacks by jACK 321 is stocked with Funyuns and Sun Chips. Skinny Pop and Barnum’s Animal Crackers. Gatorade, iced tea, sparkling water, and lemonade. And Diet Coke, but that’s only for the teachers.

The snacks and drinks cost between 50 cents and $1.25, and customers can pay with coins, credit cards, and Apple Pay. Jack donated 10% of the proceeds to Morning Star.

Jack is learning about running a business one box of animal crackers at a time. He has to track inventory and handle money. On weekends, he and his parents head to Sam’s Club for supplies. Jack and Maria restock the machine at least once a week.

“I think this is an amazing thing for Jack,” Odom said. “He has a real entrepreneurial spirit.”

Vanessa Florance, who taught Jack last year at Morning Star, said Jack’s side hustle turned into a learning experience for his schoolmates. She watched students learn to count change before making a selection and learn which number on the number pad corresponds with which snack. There was also a writing pad on the wall opposite the machine where students could leave suggestions for additional snacks, which they did.

“It was all these little lessons for everybody,” Florance said.

Jack said his first year as an entrepreneur was fun.

“And I like spending time with my mother,” he added.

Jack is one of the more personable students at the school. Also, one with deep faith. He carries a copy of the Ten Commandments in the small satchel he wears at all times, and while not Catholic, he participates in school-wide mass and is very inquisitive about the Bible verses he learned in religion class.

“He always made sure to greet me in the hallway, saying ‘Good morning,’ or ‘Good afternoon,’” said Morning Star teacher/principal's intern Jennifer Almedia. “And if I didn’t see him for some reason, he would make it a point to come and find me and make sure I saw him. He never misses an opportunity to greet his teachers.”

Maria and Jason have not treated Jack differently because he has Down syndrome. He’s expected to do his share of chores around the house and is allowed to dream as big as he wants. One of Jack’s dreams is to be an NBA superstar.

“We anticipate him going through high school, going to college of his choice, with specific programs,” Maria said.

They have already looked into ClemsonLIFE, a program at Clemson University for students with intellectual disabilities.

“He knows expectations are for him to further his education outside of high school,” Maria said. “Now, if you ask him, he wants to drive, join the military, get married, and have kids. Not sure he'll be able to do all of those things in that order, but that's what he envisions himself doing, and we don't tell him any differently.”

One thing Jack won’t do, though, is graduate from Morning Star, the school he attended in the sixth and seventh grades.

Because the school only goes through grade eight, Maria and Jason would have to look for a high school that can accommodate Jack’s needs. In the spring, they entered a lottery for a charter school near their Wesley Chapel home, and, to their surprise, Jack was accepted. The school is grades 3-12 and has a post-high school transition program.

“We absolutely love Morning Star,” Maria said. “We wish they went through high school, but unfortunately, they do not at this moment in time.”

Jack will remain on the FES-UA scholarship, using the education savings account to pay for his therapies.

While Jack will no longer attend Morning Star, his vending machine will remain. Jack and his mom will stop by every week to check the inventory, keep it stocked, and check the notepad for any suggestions.

“Jack’s not technically leaving,” Odom said.

“SNacks by jACK lives on.”

Roger Mooney, manager, communications, can be reached at [email protected].