Feeding the children
Three Glace Bay organizations partner to sponsor summer breakfast program
Three local organizations have banned together to fill a void in children’s lives.
The Undercurrent Youth Centre, Glace Bay Food Bank and Town House have partnered to sponsor a summer breakfast program for children in the Glace Bay area.
“I’ve worked with a lot of groups in Glace Bay but I’ve never seen a collaboration like this for a common cause,” said Dave MacKeigan, chair of the Glace Bay Food Bank Society.
“It’s a non-stigmatizing program, positive socialization and a great start to a summer day.”
The program is open to all students in Grades Primary to Grade 12 and will begin Monday at the Undercurrent Youth Centre.
It will run Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the youth centre and Tuesdays and Fridays at St. Mary’s hall from 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. at both locations.
Approximately 400 children use the breakfast program in the Glace Bay schools when they are open however the program shuts down in June for the summer.
“We felt we had three great groups, all that service and help in Glace Bay in different ways,” said MacKeigan.
MacKeigan said poverty rates are at 35 per cent in Glace Bay and with breakfast the most important meal of the day, it’s important kids are fed.
The idea for the breakfast program originated with Dave Sawler, executive director of the Undercurrent Youth Centre.
He discussed the idea with MacKeigan and Ed Beaton,
“I’ve worked with a lot of groups in Glace Bay but I’ve never seen a collaboration like this for a common cause.” Dave MacKeigan, chair, Glace Bay Food Bank Society
executive director of Town House, and all three had a desire to make a difference.
“I don’t think any of us could have done it on our own,” he said.
Sawler said parents are welcome to come with their kids as well.
More than 400 kids utilize the youth centre each week.
“When kids come here they come from every background and when you walk in the door
everyone is equal.”
Sawler said plans are to make this an annual program.
Sandra MacPherson, a coordinator at the Glace Bay Food Bank, said the food bank will provide the cereal and whatever else they might have available.
The food bank receives a tractor-trailer of cereal annually through the efforts of Glace Bay native Fraser MacAulay who works for Kellogg’s in Ontario.
“We have bread from Sobeys every day and bagels so there is always a supply.”
Beaton said the breakfast program received financial assistance from the 100 Men Who Care group which provided
seed money of $4,300.
“I had an opportunity to present the program to (100 Men Who Care),” he said. “We talked about the poverty level in Glace Bay and the need for the program.”
Beaton said the money will fill in the gaps to purchase what the food bank can’t provide.
“That will look after the milk, the apple and the orange juice and hopefully we’ll be able to get into things like yogurt,” he said.
Beaton also expressed appreciation for St. Mary’s hall which is being made available twice a week.