BONNYVILLE – Local school divisions are feeding their students' bodies and minds.
Although classes have been canceled since mid-March, Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS) and the Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) are still finding ways to continue providing much-needed meals for their students.
According to Nicole Garner, communications director for NLPS, they're planning out their next steps when it comes to using funds being provided by the province for nutrition programs.
“It’s the next thing that we’re focused on, how we’re going to be using those dollars to get food out to the families who need it, and what the logistics are going to look like,” she said.
In the meantime, individual schools have been offering assistance to their students where they can. Bonnyville's H.E. Bourgin School is one of them.
Throughout the regular school year, H.E.B. offers a breakfast program every morning to any youth who needs it.
“I apply for grants in order to offer this to our students,” explained Kelly Murphy, Grade 6 teacher and breakfast program coordinator. “We’ve been lucky the last couple of years to get the President’s Choice Children’s Charity Nutrition Grant.”
Murphy received some great news on how to use any leftover funds H.E.B. had.
“Since the schools have been closed and classes have been canceled on-site, they actually reached out to those who received the grants and essentially gave us permission to use any money that we had left from the grant to help out our families.”
Murphy reached out to their parents and encouraged them to touch base with her if any of them needed any help.
“What I’m doing is I’m focusing on the breakfast and healthy snack options that we normally have here at the school for them, and we joined forces with Blessings with a Basket and they provided some lunch-type items that I was able to provide as well,” she exclaimed.
On Friday, April 3, teachers and faculty from H.E.B. made the delivery to those families who had requested some assistance.
With the upcoming Easter holiday, LCSD decided to put together Hampers of Hope for their families.
“In light of the circumstances that are so rapidly evolving with COVID-19 and then the implications that it’s had for our economy, we wanted to see if we could support our students and families in a meaningful way,” explained LCSD deputy superintendent Pamela Guilbault.
Over 150 families in the Bonnyville and Cold Lake area received baskets with a ham and gift cards to local grocery stores on Friday, April 3. About 50 were handed out in the Lac La Biche and Waskatenau areas as well.
Reaching out and providing assistance to families that may be struggling was an important aspect for Guilbault.
“We know that circumstances may become more difficult, we do have that expectation, and with that not only are there physical needs that become more prevalent but also there’s anxiety and the stressors that also contribute.”
One of LCSD’s mandates during this time is to continue to provide students with food who accessed their nutrition programs while school was in session, and the Easter hampers were just the start.
“We want to try and do that in innovative ways,” Guilbault noted. “Over the next couple of weeks, we’re getting together and having some conversations about how we can do this on a more regular basis using some of those funds. Whether we’re doing it by offering food vouchers or deliveries, there’s lots of ways we can do it and we’re eager to move forward with that.”
