A breakfast club at Sisler High School in Winnipeg is providing food security to more than 1,700 students at a time when food prices are at an all-time high.
The school has held a daily breakfast program for the past seven years with the help of volunteers to make sure students have a good breakfast.
“I think we all know that nutrition has a huge impact on students, especially when we’re at school,” says program coordinator, Valerie Mytopher. “If you’re hungry, nothing else can happen.”
The volunteers give out things like cereal, granola bars, fruit, and milk in the morning. Hubs are also available around the school where kids can grab snacks throughout the day, and the program supplies teachers with bins of snacks for their classrooms.
The program is available to anyone who needs it free of charge and Mytopher says it is a great way of bringing students together.
“It’s great when the kids come by at break, and grab an apple and go, and you can start those conversations with students that you may not have been able to interact with before,” says Mytopher.
Twelfth Grader Ryan Malabanan has volunteered with the program for three years and he says he has made friends while volunteering and the program has helped a lot of students for a variety of reasons.
“Some of us didn’t know each other when the program started and we’ve become friends along the way.”
“What we’ve really tried to do is de-stigmatize the process of getting free food,” says Malabanan. “We’ve seen people who are scared to take food because they feel they’ll be judged, so we’re trying to be encouraging of others to take food.”
Breakfast Club of Canada helps fund programs at 93 Manitoba schools and there are still 97 on the waiting list. As prices go up, the program provides a vital source of nutrition to many students.
“As we all know with the rising costs of food nowadays, it’s not always accessible to buy some of the fresh items,” said Mytopher, adding that students are most thankful for the fruits and vegetables they provide.
Mytopher also believes that the program’s consistency and accessibility are comforting to students.
“They know if they weren’t able to grab something in the morning, or if they might be staying late or they might need an extra snack throughout the day, they know it’s there.”
“I think it’s just a great way to stay focused on the task you’re doing at the moment,” adds Malabanan. “Rather than thinking, ‘Oh, what am I going to eat next?’”
More information on how people can help school breakfast programs can be found online.
— with files from Global’s Iris Dyck.