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A new breakfast program is off to a great start at Ross Ford Elementary School in Didsbury. The program got its start a few weeks ago, thanks to the vision of the school’s Family School Wellness Worker.
“It’s been exciting connecting with the kids in the morning,” says Genna Sauve, Family School Wellness Worker. She says, “It gives them a chance for a soft start to the day, where they sit and talk to each other. For the students whose families might be challenged to get enough groceries, it gives the kids knowledge of when they’ll have their next meal. Feeding bellies feeds brains too, and helps kids be ready to learn.”
Sauve said she noticed a need last year when students were regularly coming to her during the day for snack foods such as goldfish or granola bars. She wanted the students to have nutritious foods available to them as well, which prompted the idea of a breakfast program.
The program is open to any student in the 20 minutes before school starts. Between 65 to 75 students, or about a quarter of the school’s population, take advantage of the opportunity each day.
Breakfast offerings include fruit on a daily basis. Cereal, muffins and bagels are rotated through the weekly menu. On Fridays, the school offers a hot breakfast of waffles, pancakes, or breakfast sandwiches. Food is left available for students who might be hungry throughout the school day as well.
Save-On Foods in Didsbury donates fruit and cereal each week, Daphne’s Market in Didsbury donates muffins, and parents of students contribute donations.
Cash donations from Ember Resources help the program, as does nutrition money from the province that is distributed from Chinook’s Edge School Division.