Northwestern Alberta’s Vital Signs® shows that “Children from homes with persistent food insecurity have shown smaller gains in both reading and math than their food secure counterparts.”
It’s been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. At E.E. Oliver Elementary School in Fairview, close to 300 students can testify to that as they kick each day of learning off with some healthy nutrition with thanks to funding from the Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta and the Frank and Agnes Lovsin Legacy Fund. The Breakfast Program offers all students the opportunity to eat a healthy breakfast before classes begin each day.
“We know that students who eat in the morning are more likely to be ready to learn; and are also more likely to attend,” says Family School Liaison Connie Kramer who facilitates the program. “The benefits of the program reach far beyond feeding those in need and include many positive social impacts as well.”
A teacher notes one of the unexpected benefits of the program has been the opportunity for independence it has provided to some at-risk or complex needs students. “They are able to access the program with little-to-no extra support through observing their peers and following their lead. This has provided them with a real-time inclusive learning opportunity that can help them with the life skill of “eating out” or “eating in public” where it would otherwise would not have been feasible.”
A big thank you to the Frank and Agnes Lovsin Legacy Fund for their funding of this program. You can make a difference in our community – not only for today but forever. When you make a donation to the Frank and Agnes Lovsin Legacy Fund, we invest that gift into a permanent endowment fund and the original gift is never spent. Earnings from your gift are distributed in our community to support all needs in the community. Donations can be made online here – https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/36925 or by calling the Community Foundation at (780) 538-2820.
