Student Nutrition Program Roots for Local Food
Written by Communications, March 29, 2019
St. Paul Lakefield Catholic Elementary Students Celebrate Healthy Eating
Today, 200 St. Paul Lakefield Catholic Elementary school students and staff crunched down on Ontario Empire apples in synch with hundreds of thousands of students across the nation.
The Great Big Crunch celebrates healthy eating with a synchronized bite into locally grown apples. “It’s a fun way to celebrate healthy eating and local food,” said Arlene Robinson, Principal of St. Paul Lakefield. “Our school’s community of students, parents and staff have shown a remarkable commitment to healthy eating through their support of our Student Nutrition Program.”
“March is Nutrition Month, which is a great time to celebrate our schools’ role in providing a healthy eating environment for students,” said Luisa Magalhaes, Registered Dietitian with Peterborough Public Health. “Students can more easily put into practice what they learn in class when student nutrition program meals, school fundraisers, class celebrations, and in-class rewards all reinforce the same healthy eating message.”
Angela Fuchs, Food for Kids Peterborough and County Student Nutrition Program Coordinator, was on hand for the festivities. “Local food is so important to our programs,” explained Ms. Fuchs. “It is good for our families and our farmers, uses less fuel to get to us, and tastes great. The Great Big Crunch is another way to teach students that local food benefits everyone.”
In 2017-18, almost 1,000 local volunteers dedicated over 1,000 hours a week to feed students and help them perform their best. The School Food Box, delivered to all Peterborough and County student nutrition programs, contained 15,653 pounds of Ontario-grown fresh vegetables and fruit and local cheese. In its fifth year, this project is made possible through generous donations and grants awarded to Food for Kids, including Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, Kiwanis Club of Scott’s Plains, Show Kids You Care, and Kawartha Credit Union.
For more information: www.FoodforKidsPTBO.ca or #foodforkidsptbo or @FoodForKidsPtbo
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For further information, please contact:
Luisa Magalhaes, Registered Dietitian
Peterborough Public Health
(705) 743-1000, ext. 233