Fairview Heights Elementary School students are just some of the 24,000 kids in Nova Scotia that will get a nutritious breakfast every day thanks to new funding announced last week.
Money raised for the President's Choice Children's Charity through customer donations, staff events and vendors was donated to the Breakfast For Learning program on Oct. 11.
In total, the charity donated $866,000 to Atlantic Canada schools.
The $295,000 share going to Nova Scotia schools will feed 24,000 students approximately four million meals this school year.
"That's astounding," said program senior director Peggy Hornell. "It's the most significant gift that PC Children's Charity has given in Atlantic Canada."
In HRM, approximately 3,000 students at 35 participating schools will benefit from the grant.
The money will be used to buy nutritional breakfast food, and supplementary funding is also being donated to buy equipment needed to prepare meals and to purchase perishables such as fruit, vegetable and dairy products.
Fairview Heights elementary school principal Sara Walker said all students are invited to eat breakfast at school, free of charge.
"For many of our students, it's an early start for them and they come to school and haven't had breakfast. We know from studies that when children don't have a healthy start to their day it can affect their attention throughout the day, and their focus," Walker said.
Schools apply for funding through the Breakfast For Learning program, which distributes cash and gift cards.
In many areas, community volunteers like church groups, do the grocery shopping for the school breakfast program.
Dan Campbell, chairman of the Nova Scotia chapter of Breakfast for Learning said he's seen firsthand as a former teacher and principal what a difference breakfast can make to a student's ability to learn
"Feed the body, feed the brain," said.
kmoar@hfxnews.ca
