On December 8th 2024, CBC's Fresh Air broadcast an interview with Trish Desjardins (teacher at TDSSE) and Brigid Wilkinson (Executive Director at TTF). The interview focuses on food insecurity in schools and the creation of the School Nutrition Fund/fond d’alimentation saine pour les élèves.
Trish talks about her experience as a grade 7/8 teacher at TDSSE, noticing an increase in food insecurity among her students. Increasing numbers of kids are coming to school hungry. Trish identifies that it takes a lot for a student to come forward to an adult to ask for food, often masking food insecurity by saying things like "I forgot my lunch". After hearing this from the same students over and over, she started a food pantry in her hallway at school with the help of her family. Trish also discusses some of the current school nutrition initiatives occurring in her school, and talks about upcoming opportunities for the programs.
As the Executive Director of The Temiskaming Foundation, Brigid talks about the increase in grant applications from schools for their school nutrition programs. Most granting funds support one-time purchases, rather than ongoing operational funding, and the need for a specific fund for school nutrition became apparent. "We hope the School Nutrition Fund offers not just sustainable funding going forward, but encourages information sharing between schools as well", said Brigid.
The School Nutrition Fund/fond d’alimentation saine pour les élèves was founded by the TTF Board of Directors in April of 2024, and will be accepting grant applications next year with the first round of grants being disbursed in April 2025 . The money will be granted to every school in the Timiskaming district that applies and will be disbursed proportionally based on the number of students.
Funds at TTF that supported the launch of the School Nutrition Fund were:
TTF Emergency Fund
McLean Fund
Leonard A. Wilson Fund
TTF Directors Fund
100+ Women Who Care supported the Fund at their August, 2024 meeting.
Funds that will support the School Nutrition Fund going forward annually:
Leonard A. Wilson Fund
Lady’s Slipper Fund
Patricia Willard-Inglis Fund
If you would like to make a donation to support the School Nutrition Fund/fond d'alimentation saines pour les eleves, click on the "donate" button on our website. www.temiskamingfoundation.ca
To listen to the segment, please visit https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-193-fresh-air/clip/16114378-a-temiskaming-teacher-feeding-students-need
Comments