School Breakfast Program provides healthy options for all
BY KIM LANGEN
A healthy start with the School Breakfast Program is back on the menu at Killarney School.
The project began a few years ago, when a local pastor and his congregation got together to help make sure all schoolchildren got a good start to the day.
“With the help of members of his church, and the school, they made and handed out healthy breakfast items every day,” said vice principal of the school, Giselle Beaupre. “At the same time, we started to apply for grants geared to food programs in school, and we started to receive private donations.”
When the pastor moved away, one of the school’s education assistants took over, preparing and setting out the food items each morning, she said.
These days she credits New Life Assembly, Linda and Tom Blixhavn, Farm Credit Canada (FCC), and two successful 50:50 draws held at the local Farmers Market for helping to keep the program going.
“In fact, at the last one, the winner donated her winnings back to us,” said Beaupre. “She felt the program was so worthwhile.”
Grade 4 teacher Kat Moody, along with a number of her student volunteers, now run the Killarney School Breakfast Program.
It’s part of an extra-curricular activity that they complete each morning, without fail, said Beaupre.
They organize the food, and then set up a cart to hold it. All students in the school are then able to help themselves to the healthy options on offer in the attractive cart.
“We are especially grateful to Kat and her crew, who make it happen every day of the school year,” said Beaupre. “We have worked hard to make this an ‘everyone’ thing, and not just a ‘some people’ thing.”
FULL CART OF FRESHNESS – Students at Killarney School are pictured in the school foyer, helping themselves to the breakfast program’s cart of free, healthy breakfast items. From left are: Tyson Voodre, Damian Banman, and helpers Norah Marynuk, and Aaliyah Marynuk. Killarney Farm Supply just joined the list of breakfast program supporters (see story, left), after deciding to match FCC’s recent donation of $1,000 with $1,000 of their own.
FCC DONATES TO BREAKFAST PROGRAM – Joyce Wityshyn (left) and Jim Bambridge (right) of Farm Credit Canada (FCC) pass on a cheque for $1,000 to Killarney School Breakfast Program organizer Miss Kat Moody and vice principal Mme. Giselle Beaupré. Killarney Farm Supply recently matched the FCC donation to the program with $1,000 of their own. Miss Moody runs the breakfast program as an extra curricular, and she and her group of student volunteers prepare and set out the food items every morning.
BARBEQUING FOR THE FOOD BANK – Farm Credit Canada (FCC), one of the Killarney School Breakfast Programs major sponsors, fired up their grill at lunchtime on Wednesday in the Co-op Food Store parking lot, to help support the local food bank. The gang, including cooks Wilco Van Meijl (left) and Joyce Wityshyn, sold hamburgers and hot dogs, with chips and drinks, and said that all their proceeds would go to the Killarney Food Bank. They also collected food donations for the bank, which sees reduced contributions during the summer months. Since 2004, FCC has been collecting food as part of its annual FCC Drive Away Hunger campaign in support of local food banks and hunger programs. In addition to food collection tractor tours across the country, FCC offices participate in local fundraising events in support of FCC Drive Away Hunger.