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Wednesday, February 23, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER B1 O FFICIA L M E D IA S P O N S O R O F T H E OAKVILLE W A TERFRO N T FESTIVAL Focus [W a te r fr o n t Oakville' fuffMah FOURTH LINE AUTO For A li Your Car's Needs Drive Clean Emission Testing Governm ent Safety Inspection Tune-Ups · Brakes · Exhaust ·Cooling Systems CAA Approved Shop 559 Speers Road 842-3001 In Business in Oakville Since 1979 Oakville Beaver Focus Editor: WILMA BL0KHUIS 845-3824 Ext: 250; Fax: 337-5567; Email: blokhuis@hattonsearch.com By Wilma Blokhuis BEAVER FOCUS EDITOR hey call them selves the M orning M unchers and second helpings are encouraged. `T h e kids in our break fast program are eating vegetables for breakfast," says Pat Blake, prin cipal o f L om e Skuce School, the fifth Oakville school to participate in the Halton Social Planning Council & Volunteer C entre's Food for T hought nutrition program . `T h e y 're eating carrots and celery sticks, and green peppers with their breakfast." T he L om e Skuce M orning M unchers Club started in September, and currently betw een 25 and 30 children com e to school early to eat a nutritious breakfast. And, w hat a m eal it is - eggs, "w hole grain bread - not white, hot and cold cereals but not the sugar coated stuff," fruits, vegetables, juices, milk, yogurt, cheese, pitas, tom atoes, muffins, oranges, apples, quiche, French toast, English muffin pizzas and som ething called Toad-in-theHole, an egg placed into a hole in a muffin, explains Blake. "Kids w ho eat a good breakfast learn better, concentrate longer and are more engaging," says Blake, adding satisfying a child's appetite com es before filling their thirst for know ledge. A ccording to statistics, about 41% of Canadian children go to school w ithout having eaten a proper nutritious breakfast. Some o f the children eat at school because "it's also their social tim e," explains Blake. `T h ey like to eat w ith their friends. For others it's Photo by Christine Smyth lifestyle - they d on't get a good breakfast at home. The focus is on nutrition - everything they Joshua F orbes, 5, a kindergarten pupil at L o m e Skuce school starts his day o ff right w ith a eat has to be good for them . A nd, for som e, it nutritious breakfast o f eggs, toast, ju ice and fresh fruit, w ith the M orning M unchers Club. also gives them an opportunity to sam ple foods Blake notes the program is partially funded by The program is co-ordinated by Peter Knox of which they may not find on their kitchen table." St. Sim on's and Ruth Boyling, a L om e Skuce the Canadian Living Foundation's Breakfast for Blake explains four volunteers from St. parent. Learning initiative, launched by Canadian Living Sim on's A nglican Church and a L om e Skuce M agazine in 1998. Word o f mouth linked the church with this parent transform the school's staff room into a school program, says Blake. "We started dis "big fam ily kitchen, a big farm kitchen, w ith all Individual schools can apply for funding o f up cussing a school breakfast program last spring, o f the sm ells o f breakfast being prepared." to $3,000 to help cover start-up costs, purchase a and at the same tim e, St. Sim on's was looking T he volunteers arrive at school at about 7 a.m. fridge and dishes, and som e food. A grant was for an outreach project and approached the to prepare the breakfasts for the children who recently approved for L om e Skuce, with addi school." As a result, the church is the M orning com e early to eat betw een 8 and 8:40 a.m., five tional funding com ing from St. S im on's Church. days a week. M unchers C lub's m ajor sponsor. "W hat a great way to start he day, having a T he St. Sim on's volunteers do the shopping. friendly person greet the children as they arrive "O ne o f the volunteers acts as a greeter. Everybody wears nam e tags, and the children are However, "w e're looking for another sponsor, into the program, sitting dow n to a colourful and one that can help us pay for the food," adds very inviting tray o f fresh fruit, then digging into w elcom ed by name. T he volunteers chat w ith the Blake. "We would like more local business sup kids. T he volunteers eat their breakfast w ith the the `the special' o f the day, meeting old friends port," sim ilar to the G reat Canadian Bagel kids." Sometimes special guests, such as local and having a meaningful conversation with par Com pany, which provides the bagels on firefighters, are invited to have breakfast with the ent volunteers and com m unity volunteers from Tuesdays. "Some schools have sponsors which children, and to talk to them about good nutri St. Sim on's Church," says Darlene Edm onds, tion." pay for the food." Food for Thought Com m unity Partners Program r Breakfast at school co-ordinator at the H alton Social Planning C ouncil & Volunteer Centre. "For som e o f these youngsters this will set the stage for a great day." E dm onds notes business and com m unity groups can get involved by volunteering, provid ing in-kind services, donating food products, or "even picking tip the tab for a school nutrition program ." T he program is offered in partnership w ith the Halton D istrict School B oard and the Halton Catholic D istrict School Bard, and operates at 16 schools in Halton. All schools w hich applied for funding from the Canadian Living F oundation's B reakfast for Learning program have received grants, notes Edm onds. "Each school looks for its ow n com m unity partners," explains E dm onds. "Each school has a different partnership and is supported through different types o f donations. In Oakville, sim ilar breakfast program s also operate at M unn's, O akw ood, and W. H. M orden. Brookdale has a snack program . M unn's is sup ported by the N orth O akville Rotary Club, O akville Firefighters, and L ongo's; W. H. M orden is also supported by L o n g o 's, "w hich donates all o f the food for both o f these schools," notes Edm onds. O akw ood and B rookdale are currently offering their program s w ithout com m unity partners. `T h is program is very successful because there's no stigm a attached to it," explains Edm onds. "It's open to the entire school." L om e Skuce has an enrollm ent o f 290. "A lot o f kids com e to school hungry, and the biggest reason w hy is because they d o n 't see their parents sitting dow n to eat breakfast. T heir parents leave early for jo b s - jo b s they have to get to, and it's grab and run. " It's not because the nutritious food isn't there for them at hom e, it's because o f a rushed lifestyle. T h ere's no calm atm osphere where everyone sits dow n and eats breakfast. K ids in this program d o n 't otherw ise see the role model o f adults sitting dow n to eat breakfast with chil dren. "It's like a big `W alton fam ily' sitting dow n for breakfast, children o f different ages interact ing w ith each other and w ith adults. M ultiple ages are interacting, and the kids are set for the rest o f the day. E verybody who participates in this program jjas a great day. A greeter w elcom es and children and tells them to wash their hands before eating. A nd they're told `have a nice d ay ' w hen leaving." For more inform ation, call D arlene Edm onds at the Halton Social Planning Council & Volunteer Centre at 632-1975. ( WAL-MART 1 ^ M g 8 BH L H@ [R UH8 8 e v e ry d a y ! j F U M a s t ic Results... W e Can H elp You Get T h e m ... All You Have to do is Get Here! Join N ow and Pay O nly $39 Per Month with Down Payment A beautiful body doesn't take years of hard work and determination. It takes the right program! 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