WCDSB Community News Magazine Spring 2012 - Wellington ...

Unique Programs
Food and Friends Program at
Wellington Catholic
“Every child has the right to go to school well nourished and ready to learn,” states
the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Food and Friends website.
This is a difficult statement to disagree with. Yet, many students within Wellington
Catholic often do go to school hungry.
There are as many explanations for this as there are differences in family
circumstances. Reduced financial resources of families is not always the reason
students arrive to school undernourished, hungry or without a lunch. Busy lifestyles,
poor nutritional habits and organization skills are also commonly indicated.
“For some kids, the only nutritional meal they will have the whole day has been one
provided by Food and Friends,” comments Anita Macfarlane, Community Program
Director for Food and Friends.
The program supports snack, breakfast and lunch programs.
An average of 295 students and 350 adult volunteers are involved with the delivery
of food. It is truly a community effort to help ensure students have the very best
chance to learn.
Many schools within the District recognize the importance of their food program.
“At St. John Bosco Lunch program I had the opportunity to be part of an incredible
experience,” shares Anita.
“I was invited, along with others, to enjoy a meal prepared by the students with the
assistance of the staff and volunteers of the lunch program. It was only after we
finished eating that we realized the impact of this lunch…,” Anita comments.
The nutrition programs at St. John Bosco are tied to the curriculum at the school. In
the cooking class, students were asked to create a meal. They were responsible
for the menu, grocery list, food preparation and then they served the food to their
families.
“The student that planned the meal that day had no family to prepare his meal for so
those in attendance became his family for the day. It was moving and so satisfying to
be part of this event,” she says earnestly.
“I think we all understand the importance of proper nutrition when it comes to learning.
But it was nice to see how, through some of the Food and Friends programs,
students are able to develop positive eating habits, reinforce life skills and become
part of a community within the school that goes beyond academics,” she comments.
Sacred Heart Raises Money
for Snack Program
Sacred Heart students were interviewed on Rogers
Television and asked about how the healthy snack
program works at their school. Sacred Heart students
receive a healthy snack 4 days a week.
Back row: Luca Gagliardi, Justys Villella, and Audrey Porcellato.
Front row: Kiana Stradiotto and Luke Hannam.
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Wellington Catholic Community News Magazine