Capri Sun Supports Chicago Schools, Disappoints Children

Being the working mom of two adolescent boys during a pandemic has been one of the most harrowing experiences of my life, but I try to remember that they're going through difficulties of their own right now, processing the ways in which their lives have changed. Can you imagine how devastating it must be for a child to realize they'll never get to drink from a school water fountain again? Never again sipping on 85-degree H2O above a metal basin filled with gum, broken hair ties, and a solitary old Band-Aid. Heartbreaking.

But out of this darkness comes the light that is Capri Sun. Everyone's favorite juice in a bag wants school kids to have, as per a press release, a "fun way to get water," and so the company is filling up 5 million pouches with the stuff and donating it to school districts in the Chicagoland area. Of course, getting a Capri Sun pouch without Capri Sun in it is actually worse than having to say goodbye to water fountains, which is why there's a preemptive apology printed on the label. Chicago public schools have already announced they will not be reopening in the fall, so at least the children will have a few more months before they have to deal with this punch in the gut.