CENTRE WELLINGTON – Community groups hope a new nutrition program will help keep students fed over the summer holidays.
North Centre Wellington Community Foundation (CWCF) has partnered with the Community Resource Centre (CRC), the Guelph Wellington Children’s Foundation and other sponsors to create a “first of its kind” nine-week summer food assistance program called Summer Snacks for Wellington County families facing food insecurity outside of term time.
“When school is out, the usual support is gone,” says Courtney O’Neill, nutrition and food coordinator for CWCF. “We’ve heard from people in local student nutrition programs that schools are very concerned about what kids are going to do over the summer because they know there isn’t enough food at home.”
O’Neill said the program is expected to provide free food assistance through snacks, non-perishable foods and gift cards to at least 100 young people in grades JK through 12 across Wellington County.
CWCF said the number of children in need is closer to 300.
“(This program) is necessary because household food insecurity rates continue to rise across the county, state and nation, and the latest data shows this problem is not going away,” O’Neill said.
The Smart Cities report said Centre Wellington Foodbank visited 346 households in January 2024, a 60 per cent increase from January 2023.
In 2023, food costs in the region will be 14 per cent higher than in 2022, and 30 per cent of Ontario children live in food insecure households.
“Food insecurity means young people are unable to learn well in school and adults are unable to enjoy their health, and we want to prevent this in our communities by improving access to food,” CWCF Executive Director Judy Foster said in an emailed statement. “This project with CRC (which we sponsor along with other partners) is just one way we’re working to improve food insecurity here.”
O’Neill said the high cost of living, along with a lack of affordable public transportation and access to food, continue to be barriers for food-insecure residents.
Last year, CWCF supported a similar pilot program called the “Snacks in the Backpack” program, providing 317 children with a 10-day supply of snacks.
“What’s really unique about this program is that it takes into account the rural context and the challenges of getting different types of support, so this program aims to ensure that there are access points in those communities by providing fresh and non-fresh food options and doing a variety of different things to get nutritious food to kids,” O’Neill said.
The program will take place at four access points across Wellington County on July 3rd and 4th for weeks one through four, and July 22nd and 23rd for the remaining five weeks.
Shipping and delivery options are also available for those who require them.
If successful, O’Neill said the organization plans to implement the program “in some form” next year.
Anyone interested in the program is encouraged to register or sign up by June 12 or contact a CRC outreach worker or local food bank for assistance.
Isabel Buckmaster is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter for Guelph Today. LJI is a federally funded program.
By Isabel Buckmaster, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, GuelphToday.com
