Salvation Army School Lunch Programs Feed Minds and Change Lives

It’s back-to-school time and, as many parents pack school lunches and snacks, we need to bear in mind that one in seven children go to school hungry. This lack of food robs them of dignity and negatively affects their ability to learn.

The Salvation Army recognizes this issue and has established programs to help feed students. For example:

• In St. John’s N.L., more than 100 students from St. John’s Booth Memorial and Bishops College enjoy a free lunch hosted by The Salvation Army every Tuesday;
• In Abbotsford, B.C., The Salvation Army provides nutritious snacks and beverages to many area elementary and middle schools for teachers to distribute at any time of the school day;
• In Regina, Sask., The Salvation Army not only delivers 140 lunches to at-risk elementary students, it fills backpacks with nutritious and easy-to-prepare food that hungry students take home on the weekends.

Last year, The Salvation Army provided more than 100,000 nutritious meals to students across Canada.

The benefits to providing students lunch are multi-layered. Kids have access to a balanced, nutritious food. They are better prepared to concentrate and learn. And a healthy lunch provides energy to participate in physical activity and interact with peers—both of which are important for student overall health and wellness.

“There isn’t a lot of food in my house,” says one Grade 5 student who receives a healthy lunch from The Salvation Army in Regina. “Sometimes there is nothing in our refrigerator.”

Hunger is painful. How will you help relieve it?