Meeting food challenges
SchoolsPlus, various departments offer assistance where needed
It’s a Wednesday afternoon in Newport and Emilie Smith is helping put together about 100 packages of staple food items to send to families in the region.
Smith is the SchoolsPlus facilitator for the Avon View family of schools, which covers the 10 schools that feed into Avon View High School.
“Karen Wallace, our principal at West Hants Middle School (WHMS), applied for two grants,” Smith explains. “So we’re doing up these care packages for families, with staple items that we know people need.”
The packages include items that kids can prepare themselves if their parents are working during the day – soup, bread, peanut butter, jam, Kraft Dinner, pasta, etc. Deliveries will be carried out the following two days. Recipient families have students from Primary to Grade 12, and are identified in many ways, Smith explains.
“Families can self identify, or are sometimes referred by others,” she says. “Schools will often provide hot lunches for students, so we know which families might be facing food challenges.”
Special orders were placed with local grocery stores to ensure the stores were not left short on stock.
“We don’t want to go in and clear the shelves of items,” Smith explains.
Supporting the needs of students even while they’re outside of school is part of the mandate of SchoolsPlus. The challenges around food security in the community became more acute during the pandemic. For people in rural areas, it could be something as basic as transportation to the grocery store.
“Those of us who have our own vehicles take that for granted,” Smith points out. “There are all kinds of accessibility issues around food.”
During the first wave of the pandemic WHMS partnered with Caremongers WindsorWest Hants for delivery. This go-round attendance support worker Kristin Hubley took the lead in organizing a team of staff members to help with the delivery.
A third round is a distinct possibility, Smith adds.
“We still have funds available for another round, if necessary, and we would certainly look at applying for another grant.”
SchoolsPlus was established in 2008, and employs a collaborative, inter-agency approach to supporting students and families, with the school as the centre of service delivery.
“We build relationships with families and students, so people know that we are a resource for the community.”
SchoolsPlus covers the province, and has representation from various government departments including Justice, Community Services, Education and Health and Wellness. The idea is to foster collaborations between organizations.
“It’s about opening lines of communication and ensuring that the needs of the child and the family are at the center of the plan,” Smith adds.
Local advisory committees help identify gaps in services or resources and come up with solutions. Poverty, housing, access to transportation, undiagnosed learning challenges, addiction and mental health issues are just a few of the barriers that can stand between a student and academic success.
“We are there to address any kind of barriers that get in the way of students being successful,” Smith explains. “For example, if we have a student who needs mental health support, we have two clinicians who are attached specifically to SchoolsPlus. If someone needs transportation to a doctor’s appointment, we can help arrange that.”
Poverty, housing, access to transportation, undiagnosed learning challenges, addiction and mental health issues are just a few of the barriers that can stand between a student and academic success.