Some kids in N.S. don't eat on weekends. These volunteers are changing that

Many students in Nova Scotia count on getting their breakfast and lunch at school, but it's not always guaranteed they'll have something to eat on the weekends. 

That's why Doris Walton started a program in Amherst, N.S., that sends bags full of food home with kids who need it on Friday afternoons. 

"When I found out that there were so many children that were dealing with food insecurity here, I just knew that as an adult I had to step up and help," said Walton.

Her group is called After the School Bell. It's modelled after a similar initiative by Food Banks Canada. 

There are about 30 volunteers who spend the week grocery shopping, packing and delivering the food to nine elementary schools and four high schools. 

They send the bags home with 197 students every Friday, and start the process over again on Monday morning. 

"It's amazing for these children to return to school on Monday not hungry anymore,"  Walton said. 

According to Statistics Canada's income survey, Nova Scotia had the highest rates of child poverty and food insecurity of any Canadian province in 2022. The data found that 14.1 per cent of children in this province were living in poverty, while 28.9 per cent of Nova Scotians were food insecure. 

To help ease the pressure on families, there's a free breakfast program in every Nova Scotia public school, and the province introduced a pay-what-you-can lunch program in October at 255 elementary schools. 

The Education Department plans to expand the lunch program to junior high and high schools in the future, but a spokesperson said they are focusing on elementary schools for now. 

As groceries have become more expensive, Walton said the demand for her program has grown immensely since it started in 2017. 

A similar program has been operating in the Annapolis Valley for about nine years, and with some guidance from Walton, it's now being run by Gaetane Archibald and her husband out of the County Fair Mall in New Minas.     

Walton said she's also supported groups in Kingston and Springhill. 

With the help of a SchoolsPlus outreach worker and dozens of volunteers, Archibald and her team are able to give out bags of food to 120 students per week across 10 schools. 

"It's given me a new lease on life. It feeds me. My heart doesn't know how to take it. Sometimes it's bursting with joy," said Archibald. "It's so rewarding." 

In Truro, N.S., Lola Brown started a similar initiative out of her home. She delivers small backpacks of food to 39 students at Truro Elementary School on Fridays. 

She and her husband were volunteers at the school's breakfast program where they witnessed the need.

"We would have kids coming in on Monday telling us that they hadn't eaten all weekend. And they didn't mean they hadn't eaten much, they meant that they hadn't eaten anything," said Brown. 

Her friend Sylvia Estey, who helps with the backpacks, has noticed what an impact their program is making. 

"I really think that it's changing the lives of the children that are able to have some nutrition on the weekend," said Estey. "Some of them are in dire situations. Some are in motels or living in unfavourable conditions." 

"It's not just the fact they're getting fed," added Brown. "They know people care about them. They know that every Friday someone cared enough to put this together and is looking out for them." 

The backpacks are delivered discreetly to the students by Melissa Higgins, a child and youth care practitioner at Truro Elementary. She said a couple of fan favourites among the kids are soda crackers and cans of spaghetti.

"They are extremely excited and grateful for every single thing they get," said Higgins. 

The programs in Amherst, New Minas and Truro rely on fundraising, donations and partnerships with local businesses and organizations. 

Walton said she would be glad to offer advice and support to anyone interested in starting a similar initiative in their community. 

"My mission is to offer this program in every school in Nova Scotia and beyond … that's where my heart is," she said. 

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