Richmond school food program does more than just feed students

Across B.C. everyday, students go to school hungry and this affects their ability to learn.

But one school in Richmond is working hard to make sure their students have access to food everyday.

McNair Secondary School teacher Thomas Froh, is one of the teachers behind the initiative to provide a space for students to eat when they need.

“It came about from the response to us as a staff, the responsibility to make sure that every kid in our school is fed,” said Froh. “You can’t learn if you’re hungry. And so it’s only fair in our minds that they’re all on equal footing.”

The club is called Seva Club, which is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘selfless service’ and the goal is to foster the students’ connection to the school community.

“Initially I looked at the Breakfast Club of Canada, I got a lot of ideas from their website, but when we started looking at what this would actually look like, what could it become, we realized there’s an opportunity to meet another one of our school-wide objectives, which is really an ongoing one and that’s to increase student connectivity to the school,” Froh said.

The Seva Club joins a long list of clubs at McNair that help to foster a feeling of membership and belonging.

Froh said there a number of students who should receive credit for their work with the club so far – including Kasey Mouland, Hailee Tapley, Ryan Lombiso, Enzo Bawar, Katrina Lee, Jacquelynne Coles, Irene Dhillon, Winnie Liu and Roy He.

The program is funded by Feed-U-Cate 38. The club also gets surplus items from the food bank that are not needed or in excess for the clients. Students have also brought food and there have been some private donations.

“We wanted it to be something that the students had ownership of, rather than just charity,” said Froh. “We want it very easy for any student to walk in and grab food.”

“It doesn’t matter if you need it that morning because you haven’t eaten, or it’s your second breakfast.”

The club is now open in the morning before class, at break and at lunch everyday. Students can walk into the lounge and help themselves during these times to anything that’s available.

“There’s been a couple occasions where our club has.. had a pancake breakfast where we served kids,” said Froh. “But by and large, it’s like a lot of food programs. The food is there, come on in and help yourself.”

Going forward, Froh said they want to add a music corner for students to play instruments and enjoy some food.

“The overall goal is fostering a school community, pulling in students that don’t feel any connection or membership to the school,” Froh said, adding that while the teachers are available to help and guide, the majority of the work will come from the students themselves.

“Ultimately, the way I look at it, students should feel cared for, and if there’s any question that your staff cares for you, that your school cares for you, that your community cares for you, hopefully this is evidence that yes it does.”