After-school programs’ food projects support local communities

Children in the Mount Waddington Family Literacy Society’s United Way School’s Out program contributed to food literacy and food security in their communities this year.

One component of the School’s Out program is community service. Throughout the year, students have helped with community and school cleanup, tending school garden beds, and helping to prepare food for school breakfast and lunch programs. 

Thanks to wrap-around support from the Mount Waddington United Way Food Hub, three School’s Out programs also created a food-related year-end community project. The food projects fostered the children’s confidence and pride as they learned some new skills and helped feed their community.

Making hummus in Coal Harbour

The Coal Harbour School’s Out group had recently learned how to make Hummus-in-a- Bag from North Island Public Health Dietician Taylor Hartwig. They used that knowledge to teach people how to make it at a Coal Harbour community event in May.

“The children were excited to come out to the Coal Harbour fire hall over the weekend and teach our community what they learned,” said program coordinator Jeanne James-Hory. “Each participant was led through assembling the ingredients for the hummus and then smashing it up in the bag – the best part! One participant said, ‘Oh, this is sooo satisfying!’”

23 residents received a kit with all the ingredients for hummus, plus crackers, cheese and tomatoes, as well as the printed recipe for Hummus-in-a-Bag.

Gardens for families in Port Alice

The Port Alice School’s Out group coordinated a gift of small take-home gardens for their students at Seaview Elementary School. 26 school families received a container with a strawberry plant, squash plant, chives, lettuce, carrot, tomato plant and cage, plus extra carrot and lettuce seeds. As a learning tool to promote reading and science, each family also received a Royal Botanical Gardens Gardening Activities booklet full of information, experiments, word puzzles, colouring,  and more.

“The School’s Out kids were so proud that they would be able to help supply families with food that they would enjoy,” said program coordinator Rheanna Bedford. “Our school is fortunate enough to have a garden so many of the kids in my program are well versed in the work it takes to keep a garden going. Families are grateful and told me that they are excited for the opportunity for learning as well as the food itself.”

Supporting school lunch in Fort Rupert

The Fort Rupert Elementary School’s Out Program helped prepare and serve the last hot lunch of the school year on June 26, feeding 65 students and 13 staff members

Culture teacher Elisha Taylor-Child led the group in making Bannock tacos. The children helped cut up veggies, shred cheese and helped make the dough for the Bannock. They learned how to measure dry and liquid ingredients, the science behind bread rising, kitchen safety when frying food, and safety while using sharp utensils.

“The entire school was excited to have Bannock tacos for lunch,” said program coordinator Briana White. “One student said, ‘best hot lunch to end the year with’. It was nice to treat students and staff to lunch and to see such an amazing group of students help to prepare and serve their friends and teachers with a smile on their faces.  It was a fun and tasty way to end the school year!”

North Island United Way School’s Out stats

In the 2023-24 school year, 40 children ages 6-12 participated in the free United Way School’s Out after-school programs in smaller communities that do not have access to a variety of after-school programs and activities: Coal Harbour, Port Alice, Sointula, Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw Nations, and Fort Rupert.

The five programs provided a total of 131 after-school sessions, 239 learning activities, 711 healthy snacks, 104 meals, 31 food hampers and had nine volunteers visit to teach new skills.

United Way School’s Out programs focus on five major themes: health and wellness; connectedness; interests and competencies; social and emotional development; and service to community.

We are excited to be able to provide United Way School’s Out programs to these communities again from September 2024 to June 2025!

Published in the North Island Eagle, July 12, 2024