When school’s out, the summer is a great time for kids to get outside and be active.
But during the summer months, school nutrition programs aren’t running – and kids and families who rely on those need a little bit of help.
That’s where the Summer Eats for Kids program hosted by the United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex Chatham-Kent comes in.
“We run this program through the summer so that we can get food out to families, so that the kids are being fed through the summer,” said Taya Travo, a summer student with the United Way.
According to the United Way, supporting children and families over the summer months with access to fresh and healthy food removes some of the many barriers that these families encounter daily.
Since the inception of the Summer Eats for Kids program, St. Clair College has been involved as a donor and brings volunteers to help with distribution of food bags and books for families.
“Partnering with the United Way and the Summer Eats for Kids program is exactly where the College needs to be and where the College functions at its best,” said John Fairley, Sr. Vice President, Communications, Advancement and External Affairs at St. Clair College. “We are proud to be a community college since 1967 and this, along with other events during our calendar year, emphasizes what the effect a community college can have across Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.”
A half-dozen members of the St. Clair Student Representative Council (SRC) and Saints Student Athletic Association (SSAA) volunteered Thursday at West Gate Public School.
“We believe that SRC should be more than just about our local college. Rather, we should be serving the entire community as a whole,” said Ali Hadwan, SRC President. “It's for a good cause and we should be using our resources to help out the community beside us, caring for the people next to us in our neighbourhoods.”
The programs operate every Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00 to 12:30 from July 7 to Aug. 20 at six area schools to help meet the needs of the community. On Tuesdays, the locations are General Brock Public School, Prince Edward Public School and St. Louis Catholic School. On Thursdays, families can attend Frank W. Begley Public School, Dougall Avenue Public School and West Gate Public School.
“We appreciate our staff being involved in participating with the United Way in the annual campaign, but this gives another opportunity for our students groups, the SRC and SSAA to add to the effort and help uplift our community,” Fairly added.
Last year, the United Way distributed 4,094 food bags, with 66 per cent of households returning for multiple visits.
Travo said the volunteers do more than just help hand out bags – they also bring another very important skill set to the table.
“A smile is the most universal language, so having everyone here just helping out and being happy, it really helps, because these people are obviously not in the best situations to be coming here,” Travo said. “It's always just a fun way to bring everyone together.”
Year-over-year, the demand for the Summer Eats for Kids program continues to grow. On July 23, dozens of cars and people were lined up at 11:00 a.m. to get their bags of food.
Travo said members of St. Clair’s student governments also come from diverse backgrounds and were able to assist breaking down some of the language barriers.
“We have different cultures, different ethnicities, different languages barriers,” said Travo. “So having different people really helps provide community for everyone.”
If you’re interested in donating to the Summer Eats for Kids program, click here.
