A 10-year-old boy waited outside the locked doors of a school breakfast program. The program was to start at 8:15 and the child stood outside at 7:15 in the dark, in the cold and alone. He explained he had not had any food on the weekend and was hungry. Could he please have some food? This child inspired the launch of the Food4Kids program.
The reality of child hunger became clear through this experience. A steering committee was formed in November 2011 to determine the need and scope of developing a weekend feeding program for at-risk children within Hamilton and Halton.
A program model was developed with a focus on 3 distinct areas:
1. Food provided in food packages would be healthy
2. Each child in the home would receive their own food package, to ensure nourishment of all children in the home
3. To ensure a non-stigmatizing process to distribute food packages to participants
"Many children have hard-working parents doing their best to provide for their kids, but even with a full time job, they struggle to feed their families. Hunger is a real problem in our community. I believe Food4Kids is a program that addresses poverty at its very core."
thank you for everything you do
"This program is such a great benefit to our family. During the summer months a generous volunteer came to our home and gave us groceries for the week. We would get a carton of milk and meat and produce, it meant we would have dinner for 2 days. It was such a tremendous blessing and really would help us out. During the school year my child gets a bag once a week delivered to her school. These weekly bags give a breakfast, fruits and snacks for the weekend. When you are a struggling family and find yourself on the poverty line times can be difficult. The support from Food4Kids has been a tremendous help. Thank you for everything you do."
a student was consistently arriving tired
"Since the beginning of this school year, a student was consistently arriving at school tired, sad and frequently complained of a stomach ache. Concerned, the teacher called home and spoke with the single-parent father, working 2 part-time jobs and unable to make ends meet. This child was responsible for the care of his 2 younger siblings. Feeding them had been especially stressful since there was often little food in the home. This child and his siblings are now involved in Food4Kids, where searching for food will no longer be a concern."
