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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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.
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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