Sutton Garner
There’s an old soul lurking in Sutton Garner, one that isn’t typical of many 14-year-olds.
That’s why she took to heart a Good Morning America story that she and her mom, Bobbi Turko, watched about childhood summer hunger in the States.
“We never really thought about that here in Calgary, so we wondered if there were the same challenges,” Garner said. “So we started doing some research and it is a challenge here, because kids can’t access the nutrition they need. So we thought what could we do about it.”
It ultimately led them to create the I Can for Kids Foundation, which provides youngsters with healthy meals. Because of her efforts, the teen was named Calgary’s 2017 Youth Philanthropist of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
“I’m definitely humbled by it,” she said. “I was surprised, first of all, when my mom told me. Excited but humbled.”
A Grade 9 student at R.T. Alderman School, Garner is involved in every aspect of the program: food collection and delivery during summer break. She’s also the spokesperson.
The nutritional challenges kids face in Calgary caught Garner off guard.
“Absolutely,” she said. “We live in a great city with amazing people. And yet these problems are happening in our own backyard. It’s definitely eye-opening to see what some of these kids go through and how some of them live.”
I Can for Kids donated 30,000 meals in 2016 and 36,000 this summer.
“Right now, for next year, we’re seeing about a 25 per cent increase of people, so we’re going to have to keep that in mind, because we’re going to have to feed more,” said Garner. “I just want to help people understand the impact of childhood hunger and what it would mean to thousands of kids and to the future of our community that we help them.”