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Okotoks volunteers are working tirelessly to ensure students are well-nourished and ready to learn.
Members of the Okotoks United Church, Brian and Shannon Olson, developed the School Lunch Program six years ago, and it has been picking up steam ever since. It now delivers 11,000 bagged lunches per year.
“We were driving into Calgary and talk radio we heard the gal who started the Calgary program, and she was talking about how kids were going without,” said Brian. “So we went to the Foothills School Division and said, ‘Is there a need for a program in Okotoks?’”
The school division said there was definitely need, but it was unsure how to launch the service.
As a pilot program, lunches were made for those children in need at two Okotoks schools for the first year. They are now delivered to seven schools twice per week.
“We meet on Mondays and make three days of lunches and on Thursdays we make two days’ of lunches, so they’re always fresh,” said Brian. “And on Thursdays we also send a grocery bag for the weekend.”
The bag includes items like macaroni and cheese, chili, soup and snacks to help families in dire need over the weekend, so the children continue to have enough food in their bellies when school lunches aren’t provided.
Food for the program is purchased with the help of service clubs and organizations that have identified its benefits, said Brian. Contributors and supporters include the DeWinton United Church, Foothills School Division, Dr. Morris Gibson School, the Kinsmen Club of Okotoks, the Okotoks Elks, the Lions Club of Okotoks, Okotoks Rotary Club, Okotoks Legion, Foothills Shriners Club, Preceptor Alpha Kappa Chapter of Beta Si, Lions Recreation Association Bowness Calgary and businesses like The George Traditional House, Hames Financial/Investors Group, and Weber Financial/RBC Securities.
They have also partnered with the Okotoks Food Bank, which provides bread and some other food contributions to the lunches, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which delivers bagged lunches to the schools, and Ubuntu Pies, which provided unique lunches last year.
Ubuntu supplied meat pies monthly as a treat in lieu of sandwiches, said Shannon.
“He ( Xolani Ncube, co-owner of Ubuntu) was such a pleasure to work with, and the kids really loved that special treat once a month,” she said. “We were so lucky to have him help us.”
Brian said for the most part, organizations provide funding for the program to help with grocery shopping, and the volunteers are largely from the Okotoks United Church.
It’s come a long way since 2015, he said.
“I went out six years ago and knocked on clubs’ doors and they phone me now and say, ‘We’ve got a cheque for you, can you come to a meeting?’” said Brian. “It’s unbelievable how good they’ve been.”
Ian McNeill, a regular volunteer who helps make lunches on Monday mornings, said he started helping out as a member of the board of directors with the Okotoks United Church, but also took the idea to the Elks Club, where he is a member and serving as president this year.
“Supporting kids is the main goal of the Elks, so the school lunch program is what we do,” said McNeill.
He said a 50/50 draw held at the Elks Farmers' Market toward the end of its season brought in $572 for the program, and the club will raise other funds throughout the year as well.
It’s an important cause to support, especially in 2020 when more families may be in need due to changes in circumstance and employment, he said.
“With people out of work, kids are going hungry and they can’t learn if they’re not well-nourished,” said McNeill. “Hopefully they’re getting something at home as well, but we know they’re getting something at school.”
A well-rounded mid-day meal can make a difference for a child, said Brian. He said when the program first started, there were cases of students drinking water to fill their stomaches during lunchtime because they had little else.
Now they receive a sandwich with meat, cheese and lettuce, a bag of carrot sticks or other fruit or vegetable, juice, and healthy snacks like yogurt or apple sauce, every day of the week.
Nothing has changed with COVID aside from extra precautions on the part of volunteers – the food is prepared in a commercial kitchen at the United Church that is inspected by Alberta Health Services, all surfaces are cleaned before and after making lunches, and volunteers don masks and gloves before getting to work.
“These days we’ve got our work stations spread out so there’s, in some cases, 10 or 12 feet between where people work,” said Brian.
He said it’s been a little harder to predict how many lunches are needed because with schools following AHS guidelines students are home sick more often if they have a sore throat or runny nose. The numbers change from week to week, he said.
“It’s been an interesting year,” said Brian. “But we are so glad we’re still able to provide this service for the kids.”
