July 14, 2020 SVFP Update
New Emerging Need
Elementary School Children Will Not Have Nutritional Programs 2020/21
COVID-19 quickly impacted all aspects of people’s lives especially the lives of the children in our community.
When the Minister of Health Bony Henry gave the order to close the schools to curve COVID-19 it set out an unintentional chain of events that have a profound emotional and health-related impact on school-aged children.
One in specific is nutrition and food security. According to the Vancouver School board, it stated that it has now stopped operating 15 different nutritional programs across 119 sites and will not be providing nutritional programs moving forward (form Sept. 2020 to June 2020) which will affect many vulnerable children/students who desperately rely on such programs.
Over the past few months, we received several requests to address the future lack of nutritional programs at schools. Principals and PAC leaders and families of Elementary and High Schools are concerned with the effect the lack of nutrition will have on the learning outcomes of vulnerable children and youth.
Principles, PAC leaders and community members are looking at us (South Vancouver Family Place), to fill the gap in nutritional services for the elementary school-aged children ages 5 to 13.
In response to this emerging need, South Vancouver Family Place has responded two ways:
- Food Security Action Plan In Progress Since – March 2020 to Present
SVFP in partnership with PIRS, South Vancouver Neighbourhood House (SVNH) and United Way have been actively supporting our communities with Food Security Distribution to South Vancouver and the River District. Service Canada thru the Summer Jobs program has supported a dedicated summer student staff to coordinate this program.
So far SVFP has delivered 340 food hampers, gained the help and support from over 12 volunteers whom we connected through the United Way (BIG THANKS to You), we have fed more than 40 families per week (the numbers keep growing! We estimate we will be feeding 300 families by the end of July).
NEW Hot Lunch Project !!
Hot Lunch Project for August 2020 to June 2021
The United Way Lower Mainland approved our request for funding to run a hot lunch program that will serve children in four communities who will have access to 3,840 hot lunch meals between August 2020 to June 2021.
The grant will fund Food Security staff and will support SVFP to provide 120 hot lunches per-week (60 lunches x 2 days pre-week) totalling 3,840 meals to four communities in the South Vancouver area between August 2020 to the end of March 2021. In partnership with The United Way (volunteers support) and the Lunch Ladies ( Will create and deliver Hot Lunches to the local schools).
