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Program sees Lethbridge seniors prepare lunch for 75 students a day

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Lethbridge seniors prepare lunch for 75 students a day
WATCH ABOVE: A grumbling stomach can be a serious distraction for any of us, especially a young child trying to learn. As Quinn Campbell reports, a partnership between students and seniors is ensuring every child has a sandwich in hand. – Sep 24, 2019

Every Monday, Evelin Pickering can be found making lunches for students. It’s something she’s been doing for about six years.

“We know they’re not going to go hungry, and I think it’s a wonderful program,” she said.

Pickering is one of many residents at St. Michael’s Health Centre in Lethbridge who preps lunches for students at three Lethbridge schools.

“St. Michael’s Health Centre, St. Theresa Villa and Martha’s House, they prepare about 75 lunches a day,” said Ben Kwan, development officer with the Covenant Foundation.

“That, in a school year, is about 12,000 lunches,” he added.

Pickering said it’s a task she’s more than happy to tackle knowing the impact it has on young learning minds.

“A hungry child cannot learn — it has to have nourishment and food to learn,” she said.

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READ MORE: Toronto program teaches at-risk youth how to cook healthy meals on a budget

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The Covenant Foundation spends about $20,000 a year on food, all of which follows the Canada Food Guide.

Every bag has a sandwich and a few other staples.

“They always have an apple and juice and some kind of a cookie, and maybe some goodie,” Pickering said.

The program has been running for seven years, with three schools receiving the lunches: Galbraith School, Westminster School and Children of St. Martha School.

Shannon Collier is the principal at Children of St. Martha. She said that any child can grab a lunch if they need it with no judgment, and added that no lunch goes to waste.

Collier said the program helps create a sense of community.

“Our seniors have really connected [with] and [are now] tied to our children,” she said. “And even though they aren’t packing the lunches here, when they come, on the very front of those bags there’s a lot of times notes that are special for our children that say, ‘Have a great day. I hope you are enjoying your lunch.'”
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Organizers said the program is fuelling more than just young minds, but also eager seniors who volunteer to support the next generation.

“We’re happy to do this so we know the children will have a good lunch, they have a sandwich, a fruit and a drink,” Pickering said.

 

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