Food 4 Children helps those in need
Society instrumental in stocking food pantries in Strait area schools
The Food 4 Children Society is a registered charity helping children obtain nutritious food.
Paul Wall was instrumental in forming the society whose moto is “If you can change one child’s reality, you can change the world!” These are just not catch words to encourage people to donate to the cause. It is said with sincerity and justification, as Wall has seen over and over again since starting the first breakfast program and the snack program which provides fruit and nutritious snacks during class time.
There is also a backpack program, where food is sent home from the school to help provide lunches. Each week, the children in the program receive a backpack filled with wholesome food worth approximately $75. This may not sound like a lot for a week, but to a child that has no food for school lunches or healthy vegetables to round out their evening meal, this is instrumental.
The society, in partnership with the Strait Regional Centre for Education, has provided children with 135,000 meals through this program.
Wall has seen the difference food can make for a child in the school system. In one instance, he witnessed a child who acted out against teachers and classmates. The child would be sent out into the hall for misbehaving and he would go through the other children’s lunch boxes in search of food, because he was hungry. He failed at his school work and hated school.
Wall asked if he could try the Food 4 Children program with the child. And while receiving nutritious food, the child made friends and did better in school. All because his body received nourishment. He now loves school and has become a different child all because of good food.
The program started out in one school and has spread to the quad counties. The society has partnered with organizations like Scotia Gold, which provided thousands of apples to the schools, and with the Strait Regional Centre for Education, which now has stocked food pantries in its schools.
The program depends on donations from organizations and individuals to purchase food and to help put an end to child poverty.
Today and Sunday, Food 4 Children has partnered with the Atlantic Superstore in Port Hawkesbury for the Pack the School Bus event to eliminate child poverty. Let’s help make this happen.