As students headed back to class this morning, did you know that 1 in 5 of them across the country are at risk of going to school each day with an empty stomach? That’s according to the Breakfast Clubs Of Canada.
For the past 20 years, the organization has been working to ensure kids have something to eat before class…
Spokesperson for the Breakfast Clubs Of Canada Lisa Clowery says it is one of the most important meals of the day for kids….because they do the majority of their learning in the morning, “Right now across Canada , we are feeding about 170, 000 students in over 1455 schools.”
Clowery notes, “There are several reasons why a child may not eat before they head to class, including poverty, the parents have to leave early for work, so the children are left alone, or they have a long commute on a school bus.”
She says they have to follow the Canada Food Guidelines, and ensure that children get something from the different food groups.
She says it is also a chance for the children to socialize, “It’s about creating a club environment and a social environment. The fact that there might be kids that needs these services, and there are others who don’t, but they are still going to the breakfast program, it’s awesome because they’re having fun, the volunteers are interacting with the students, and the teachers as well.”
35 schools in the Anglophone East School District have breakfast club programs in their facilities.
