Charity hopes to expand services to Niagara Falls and Welland
Fifteen per cent of Niagara residents, many of them children, live below the poverty line.
A crew of volunteers is hoping to change that statistic — one lunch at a time.
Once a week, volunteers with Community Crew’s Lunch Angels program prepare and deliver lunches to almost 300 students at three St. Catharines schools.
Now, the Niagara charity wants to expand its program to serve children affected by poverty in both Niagara Falls and Welland.
“No child should ever go hungry, and we aim to further help children across Niagara,” said Sarah Pritula, Community Crew’s community fundraiser.
“When we look at the poverty rates across Niagara, we knew we needed to expand to include Niagara Falls and Welland.”
A fundraising event, Night of Miracles, will be held April 27 at Club Italia in Niagara Falls in support of the planned expansion.
Since it began in 2013, the Lunch Angels have served up more than 26,000 lunches. A team of 130 volunteers meet every Tuesday to prepare the food and the lunches are delivered the following day.
“I had one little boy who told me today was his best day ever because he received a Yop at his breakfast program and a lunch from us,” Pritula said.
“You don’t assume kids don’t have lunches and we only go in one day a week so it’s heartbreaking for us to think that the other four days they might have nothing. We wish we could go in more days a week.”
Jen Currie, principal of Prince of Wales Public School in St. Catharines, said the agency is a valuable member of the school community.
“We obviously appreciate the support with lunches and school events, but it’s the genuine kindness of the Community Crew people that make a difference in the lives of our students,” she said.
Organizers hope to expand the program throughout the Niagara region in the future.
“That’s our plan,” Pritula said. “But, we want to make sure it’s sustainable in each area first.”
Tickets for the Roaring ’20sthemed gala are $125 a person or $1,200 a table.
The event includes both an online and silent auction.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception followed by dinner. For further information, visit www.communitycrew.ca.
In addition to lunches, Community Crew has handed out more than 2,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to children in need.