CHANGE LIVES THIS SEASON
Herald Christmas Fund supports I Can for Kids
One of the statements that stuck with Sutton Garner and Bobbi Turko when they were researching child hunger in Calgary was when a teacher told them about kids who dread their two-month summer break when they don’t have access to school nutrition programs.
“What kid should ever dread summer break?” Turko recalls thinking.
“It’s supposed to be the best time of year. So that really hit us hard, and I was like, ‘If we can do something about that, then we should.’”
Turko and Garner, her 13-yearold daughter, are now three years into the organization they cofounded to feed hungry children during the summer. Through the I Can for Kids Foundation, they spend their summer delivering food packs to partner agencies that work with kids. The program is one of 12 social groups to share the proceeds of this year’s Calgary Herald Christmas Fund.
The whole initiative was prompted by an American news broadcast that the pair watched together, which included a story about summer hunger. Turko, who has nearly 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector, started asking around and discovered that there were “very few options” to help hungry kids during the summer.
“I’ve always loved to help out in the community and when we found out the effects that it has on their school life and everything, it really made me sad,” said Grade 9 student Garner.
Those impacts include the fact that two months of hunger can lead to two months of academic delay at the beginning of the school year, and that child hunger can have lasting health effects into adulthood. They also learned sobering realities about child hunger in Calgary.
“We have kids dumpster diving in this city; we have kids stealing food in this city; we have kids pretending to eat in this city,” said Turko. “That’s the reality that most don’t see.”
They started having conversations with agencies and “it just took off from there,” Turko recounted. The foundation now does 10 weeks of deliveries, from late June to the end of August. This past summer, 12,000 food packs were delivered, which each contain three meals and two snacks.
Proceeds from the 2017 Herald Christmas Fund will help them pay for essentials for the food packs, increase the amount of fresh produce provided and support delivery and transportation costs.
Garner and Turko work with an Alberta Health Services nutritionist to select the healthy components of the kits, which include staples such as a can of meat, soup and oatmeal. The non-perishable food packs are supplemented with items such as fresh fruit and peanut butter, and changes are always being made according to feedback. The food is kept as nutritious as possible and is always easy to prepare, as some of the recipient children are home alone or responsible for other siblings.
The foundation has experienced rapid growth since launching in 2015, when it distributed 4,000 food packs during the first summer. This year, there were almost 240 volunteers helping to assemble the 12,000 packs.
Garner said while she has a busier summer break than her peers, she’s happy to spend the time making the much-needed deliveries.
“I love what we’re doing, so it just makes sense,” she said.
On their drives around the city, they are often saddened by the level of hunger they witness, and some of the living situations they observe make them grateful for their own home.
“You don’t have to be a millionaire in this city to be very appreciative of what you have compared to thousands of kids who don’t,” said Turko.
The notes they receive from thankful children have been a reward for their efforts, and Garner was recently recognized as Calgary’s Youth Philanthropist of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
She’s humbled by the honour, and said it’s heartwarming to know that the foundation’s efforts are
making a difference for hungry children in the city.
“It’s a little sad, because we would love to not have to do this, because that means that everyone would have a chance to eat,” she said. “But that’s not the reality, so whatever we can do, it’s awesome.”
The 2017 Calgary Herald Christmas Fund runs through to Dec. 31 and raises much-needed money for 12 worthy social agencies in Calgary.