The Food Bank of York Region is continuing to expand the school food pantry and snack program that launched as a pilot last February 2022 to help alleviate hunger for school-aged children.
“We are very engaged and committed to helping to support and grow new food pantry and snack programs in our schools. Children need the right nourishment to succeed in and outside of the classroom, and we can help provide that.” says Alex Bilotta, founder and CEO of the Food Bank of York Region, in a news release.
“We are continuing to expand into schools across the region where our help is needed and look forward to providing some relief to food insecure kids and their parents.”
The priority of the program was to support students and their families while in the classroom and at home.
The program launched at Glad Park Public School in Whitchurch-Stouffville, where a weekly delivery of non-perishable and fresh, healthy, and nutritious perishable, school safe snacks and foods is provided during the school year. The school has a volunteer team of teachers, support staff and interested students who put together meals and snacks from the food supplied by the food bank for students to eat in school or take home.
The link between student academic, social, and developmental success, and nutrition has been researched and well established. Studies have shown that kids who have regular access to healthy food are more likely to succeed than those experiencing poverty and food insecurity.
“Inflation, the increasing number of families relying on low-wage work, and the exorbitant cost of housing in York Region means more families, many who have never experienced food insecurity before, are now relying on help from others. We welcome the support of the FBYR to establish supports in our schools that contribute to food security for students and families,” said Yvonne Kelly, community and partnership developer with the York Region District School Board.
For more information on how to get your school involved, please fill out an online application here: https://fbyr.ca/community-partner-application-form/.
The Food Bank of York Region is the regional food bank and mobile food pantry with a network of 80+ social service agencies and emergency home delivery programs. The network supports food programs in the nine municipalities of York Region, serving 23,000+ individuals across 7,000 households.
