No child deserves to go to school hungry, yet as the new school year begins, a number of children in the community will arrive in their classrooms without having eaten a nutritious breakfast.
Children who don’t eat breakfast have difficulty concentrating in school. Memory, behaviour and school attendance are also affected. In fact, studies show that not eating breakfast as a child can have a long term impact on health and academic achievement.
The Campbell River United Church, in cooperation with Pinecrest Elementary School, hopes to remedy this situation for the children in their neighbourhood. The church started a breakfast program on Wednesday, Sept. 4, that will continue each school day throughout the 2013-14 school year.
Breakfast will be served in the Fellowship Hall (accessed from the upper parking lot) every morning from 8-8:30. This community outreach project will help ensure that all neighbourhood school children have access to a delicious and nourishing breakfast served in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Any child attending Pinecrest is welcome to participate.
Funding for this program has been provided by a grant from the Comox-Nanaimo Presbytery ProVision Fund, donations from the United Church congregation and from Pinecrest School. A coordinator for the program has been hired and volunteers are ready to begin making and serving breakfast starting the second day of the school year.
Financial donations are welcome from individuals and from community groups. Parents and any other individuals who are interested in volunteering can pick up a form from the church office – criminal record checks are also required from all volunteers.
For further information please call 250-286-0431 or stop by the church office on Wednesday to Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.