Breakfast fundraiser to help feed children in need

School program to nourish children on weekends

KITCHENER — You can enjoy a hearty breakfast while helping to feed vulnerable children in the region at a fundraiser for Food4Kids Waterloo Wellington.

The charitable organization that provides food to children weekends when they don’t have access to school nutrition programs is hosting its first fundraiser this month.

The Brighter Futures Breakfast will serve up a variety of breakfast dishes from local restaurants and food vendors.

“We have 10 restaurants that are creating one dish each,” said executive director Kelly-Sue Oberle. “You have a really full plate at the end.”

The goal is to raise $10,000 for the organization that depends entirely on donations and volunteers. It costs $10 for each child for a bag packed with food that will feed them through the weekend.

“This will just help to cover costs to the end of the year,” Oberle said.

Food4Kids has been feeding more and more children in need since its launch in January.

Starting with about 20 students in six schools, it now feeds 160 in 11 schools. “It’s grown a lot,” she said. Food goes home not just for the student, but for all children in the household who are 14 and under. The families have an average of three children.

“We provide all sorts of different types of food,” Oberle said. “Every week it’s different.”

A third of the bags are specially assembled to cater to allergies and cultural considerations, including halal meals. There’s always fresh fruit and vegetables included.

“We really try to find the foods that kids will eat and are healthy for them,” Oberle said.

Volunteers sort and pack the food into bags, which are delivered to the schools on Friday morning and put into the children’s backpack.

“They get it delivered right to them,” Oberle said. “There’s no judgment. It’s done quietly.”

This fall, Food4Kids plans to feed 300 students, and it hopes to continue doubling that number for the first five years. Next year, it also hopes to launch a summer program.

It’s estimated that upward of 2,500 children in the region don’t have access to enough food.

“This is targeted to the kids who are vulnerable,” Oberle said.

She said a side benefit of the program is that it builds trust between principals and at-risk families, who then feel comfortable to approach school administrators with other issues.

Oberle said the organization receives a lot of community support from businesses and individuals to fill the food bags, and schools are on board.

“People are very passionate about what we’re doing,” she said.

“It’s not just a nice to do, it’s a need to do.”