On Friday, November 22nd, LUSH Valley received an emergency request for support for students of Carihi Secondary School in Campbell River. The school’s cafeteria, among other infrastructure, had been damaged in a fire the previous night and the district needed a plan to continue feeding students who rely on school food.
LUSH Valley, a food security non-profit in the Comox Valley, runs several programs to ensure community members receive equitable access to nourishing food, including the Healthy Student Meal Program (HSMP). The HSMP, in partnership with Indigenous Education, provides nutritious meals and snacks to over 1,000 students in 20 Comox Valley schools each week. The program has recently expanded to include select participating schools in Campbell River.
Upon hearing the news, LUSH Valley Warehouse Manager Katie Kennedy quickly adapted and, within a few days, organized 240 meals to be delivered to Carihi Secondary so food is available when the school is deemed safe for staff and students to return. In the following months, LUSH Valley will continue to provide over 100 servings of fresh and frozen soups diverted from other programs, as well as an HSMP kit to feed nearly 50 students each week.
Community support has been a cornerstone of LUSH Valley since registering as a non-profit nearly 25 years ago: donations and volunteers are what enabled the organization to provide this emergency food support to students in need. Just $100 provides healthy meals to a student throughout the school year. To support this program and others, visit LUSH Valley’s website at lushvalley.org/donate.
To learn more about the Healthy Student Meal Program, visit LUSH Valley’s website at lushvalley.org/programs/healthy-food.
