Student nutrition still vital during pandemic

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This article was published 24/05/2020 (2124 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

School work doesn’t get done on an empty stomach.

Based on that reality, schools have long sourced healthy snacks for students who can’t always count on a nutritious meal at home; breakfast programs aim to encourage attendance and keep students focused in traditional classroom settings. And while the pandemic has disrupted the environments in which students study, educators say the need to fuel children for learning remains ever-present.

That’s why Julie Halcro and her team of support staff at David Livingstone School, who call themselves “The Awesomes,” have found themselves handing out hundreds of food hampers to students and their families since classes were suspended in mid-March.

“It’s really important. Everything is so different now: the kids aren’t coming in anymore, so just doing the homework packages, doing this, it’s keeping the sense of community,” said Halcro, who has been a community support worker at the North End school for 18 years. She said her position has perhaps never been as vital as it is now.

Across the Winnipeg School Divisions, upwards of 8,300 food hampers have gone out to more than 2,300 families since schools were asked to close to the public and daily food programs were put on hold. Throughout the last six weeks, the division estimates it has given out almost 250,000 pounds of food.

On a recent school day, Halcro’s team distributed 76 boxes to families. Inside the hampers, there are boxes of pasta, milk cartons and oranges, among other items that will help feed families for the next two weeks, until they can return to pick up another package from the school. Leading up to the drop-in window, pylons and chalk arrows mark social distancing requirements.

“I’m a school bus driver, so I’m not working right now so it’s tough times, but it’s a good little help out,” said Reid Whelpton, a stepfather of three David Livingstone students, in Grades 3, 4 and 6, after picking up a package this week.

Not only does the opportunity allow the family to stock their pantry, but Whelpton said it’s also an opportunity for his kids to drop in and see some friendly faces at the school. “They miss their friends,” he said.

Babayemi Moses echoed those comments. His three children are home 24/7, and Moses said his family faces a tight budget; as refugee claimants, they don’t receive child-care support.

“This has gone a long way to help our family,” he said, adding that the homework and food packages have allowed some sense of normalcy amid the chaos.

Poverty advocates, the Manitoba Teachers’ Society and the provincial NDP have all called for the expansion of food support programs in schools.

The subject became politicized earlier this year, when Premier Brian Pallister responded to NDP leader Wab Kinew’s call for a universal breakfast program. Pallister suggested it isn’t the role of the government to feed students.

“If children are going to school hungry, then parents aren’t fulfilling their responsibilities,” he said, which soon stoked up controversy.

The premier added his government planned to tackle the reasons why children come to school hungry in the first place.

The staff members at David Livingstone, however, consider food support critical to keep community members connected during both the regular school year and present.

Principal Tim Cox said that between 70 to 90 students attend the school’s breakfast program on a typical school day, and while the program has temporarily disappeared, the need remains.

“We know that we want children ready to learn everyday and part of that learning is making sure they have breakfast and are rested and are ready,” Cox said.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie