More schools dishing up meals to hungry kids
With breakfast and lunch already provided for poor students, children in many inner-city Kansas City schools are now getting all their meals at school.
86 percent of students are so poor they qualify for government-subsidized meals, funded largely by federal funds through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, the Associated Press reports.
Only in America, you say? Don't kid yourself. Meal programs are on the rise all across Canada as well, claim poverty advocates who decrie the lack of a cohesive vision for national student nutrition.
Perhaps that's why 68% of teachers believe they teach students who come to school hungry, according to a recent Angus Reid poll.
Last year, the Breakfast Clubs of Canada served 18 million meals to Canadian kids, including 5000 in the Edmonton neighbourhood of Mill Woods, where the majority of students come from low-income and immigrant families.
Clubs like these "work one-on-one with the breakfast volunteers at each of the schools we support to ensure they are serving children in an environment that fosters dignity and positive self-esteem," says long-time volunteer Arlene Fraser.
Until March 11, you can show your support by purchasing a $1 bookmark at Walmart Canada stores across the country. Every bookmark sold equals one nutritious breakfast for a child.
To learn more about Breakfast Clubs of Canada’s activities and its mission, or to find out how you can get involved, visit www.breakfastclubscanada.org.
By Gordon Powers, MSN Money
Posted by: ray larder | Mar 5, 2022 12:43:42 PM
I don't believe it, if you are poor or on welfare the first thing you buy is food.
It's a scam.
Posted by: Jeannie | Mar 6, 2022 9:38:18 AM
I work in a school. I see it every day. But, it is not always the poor who have no breakfasf/lunch. I've seen wealthy children without. The parents get up and rush out the door without eating, thinking the kids don't need to eat either. When called upon the situation, some parents resort to buying fast food from drive thru windows on the way to school. Usually a donut that fills the child with sugar and no nutrients - leaving them to crash and become cranky later. Eating has become an inconvenience.
Posted by: for sure | Mar 6, 2022 10:01:48 AM
My wife is a teacher and sees this every day -- in a fairly affluent community. School breakfast programs sre a great idea, particularly in an era of all-day kindergarten and pre/after school caregiving.