Volunteers with the Brown Bag Lunch Program make sandwiches to be delivered to students in an undated photo (CHAT TV File Photo)

By Charles Lefebvre

Brown Bag Lunch

Food Bank expecting more use of Brown Bag Lunch Program

Aug 28, 2019 | 4:07 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The Medicine Hat and District Food Bank says they’re expecting to see an increase in students using its Brown Bag Lunch Program this year.

The program, which runs throughout the school year, is in place at 32 schools, and gives a daily lunch to students who need one every day.

“At the end of the day, when children are hungry, they can’t learn, and if we want to end poverty, the way to do that is to ensure all children have a full belly and they’re ready and able to go to school and be educated,” said Celina Symmonds, executive director of the Medicine Hat and District Food Bank.

Symmonds estimates between 500 and 700 lunches are served each day to students, and she expects the number to rise this year.

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Last week, four schools in the Medicine Hat Public School Division (Vincent Massey School, Herald School Southview School and Elm Street School) which had the province’s School Nutrition Program running in their schools announced they would be suspending the program at the start of the school year, saying they were uncertain the program would be funded by the province.

Those schools say they’re now using the Brown Bag Lunch Program in the interim, requiring parents to sign up.

“The province has not yet announced their budget, and school districts right now are pulling back their nutrition program, so we are super happy to step up and support all of those schools being served in the nutrition programs,” said Symmonds.

“We’ve been fielding phone calls from schools, and just want to ensure all parents and kids that if your child is in need of a lunch, or if you’re a child that needs lunch, there will be lunches at your school from the Food Bank for sure.”

Symmonds says there will be a financial impact on the Food Bank with more students accessing the program.

“The Brown Bag Lunch Program relies 100 per cent on cash donations so we can purchase the things we need,” she said. “We’re lucky we have great donors like Red Hat Co-op who donate the vegetables, but certainly there are things we have to buy for that program.

“We buy bread, we buy pea butter and jam. We also buy fruit, and all of the granola bars and dairy.”

The Food Bank will be partnering with CHAT 94.5 FM for Brown Bag Lunch Day on September 12 at Rossco’s Pub. The event runs from 5:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., and donations for the program are being collected for the full day.

The Food Bank is also hosting a Wing Night Fundraiser at Rossco’s on September 5. Tickets for the event can be purchased online here.