September 6, 2018

‘No one should have to ask for food’

Bob Ploshynsky, principal at Rossburn Collegiate in Rossburn, Manitoba, shared a touching testimonial with us as part of our Most Significant Change Initiative.

The college’s students get access to food daily at school. For many of them, it is their only real source of proper nutrition on any given day. The nutrition grant from Breakfast Club of Canada allowed Bob and his team to meet the student’s nutritional needs without scavenging other programs. He explains; ‘As you know, good food is not inexpensive, and prices are rising. BCC’s support has further decreased the funding strain for proper nutrition in our school’.

 

‘It’s not easy for students to ask for food; it’s not easy for anyone to ask for food and no one should have to.

He gave us a specific example: ‘Tyler, a grade 10 student, came to see me one morning. Tyler is one of our more quiet, introverted students. I was aware of his social circumstance, his family life etc. I also knew he was a good kid who was interested in preserving his dignity. He asked me if I could help him with lunch. I inquired about his request to ensure there were no safety issues at home. I asked him if he has food at home. He told me that there was food in the fridge. I then asked him if he made his lunches. Tyler told me that he did. So I then smiled and said, “so you got up late and didn’t have time to make your lunch’? ‘No’, Tyler replied, ‘I left it for my brothers’.

Bob explained that it’s because of stories like this that Breakfast Club of Canada’s support is so important and appreciated by his staff and students. Without it, he would not be able to offer nutritious food to over 50 kids every school day for nearly 2 years, and give them the energy they need to learn, succeed, and dream big.