Teachers dispute has some kids missing out on breakfast
Posted September 9, 2014 8:00 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – As schools remain closed for a second week, there are some students in Vancouver who may be suffering more than others, and it has nothing to do with their education.
About 650 kids a day rely on meal programs through their school.
One of the casualties of the labour dispute has been this program, which helps vulnerable kids in Metro Vancouver. But Kurt Heinrich with the Vancouver School Board says it is an unfortunate reality of the situation.
“We are not able to provide the food services that we traditionally provide. We have been really fortunate — it sounds like in a lot of cases, parents have been able to make alternative arrangements and we really appreciate that. But at the end of the day, this is an impact and it is really an unfortunate one.”
Heinrich says emergency supplies are on hand at a dozen schools, which run the meal programs, to feed any kids who do show up to school and are hungry.
“These are bare-level supplies. We are not talking about a fancy meal, but we are talking about basic food to make sure that kids that are hungry are going to be taken care of because for us, our really key priority is the safety and security of students.”
In order for a child to access this supply, the student would have to cross the picket line. Heinrich says, so far, none have done that.
Meanwhile a community is doing its best to make sure kids in their neighbourhood are getting a hot meal.
Eighty-five students from Strathcona Elementary School are registered for an out-of-school meal program. It is being run out of a neighbouring community centre.
