"It's a real community builder," says Principal Mandy Friesen on Parkland Elementary School's breakfast program

A grant from the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba will allow Winkler's Parkland Elementary School to enhance its breakfast program. In late March, the K- 8 school received a nutrition grant of $4,450.
    
Principal Mandy Friesen says the funds will allow them to provide more options to their students. Until now, food for the school's breakfast program has come through Central Station's food rescue program giving them the ability to make toast every morning for breakfast.

"This (the grant) has allowed us to add fresh fruit every morning, yogurt, and sometimes chocolate milk. This morning we had cheese strings. We're trying a few different things since we're not quite sure what works, and what we can store."

Friesen said the fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges), has also been made available at Parkland's main office throughout the day for all students. This allows kids to pop by at recess and grab a snack if they need a little something extra in the day.

Because it's a smaller school, Friesen said Parkland's breakfast program has become a huge community builder. It has also taken away some stigmas surrounding food insecurity.

"They are beyond excited. We have lineups for the fruit and yogurt, the chocolate milk, you name it at breakfast in the morning," said Friesen. "The kids love it. I am so impressed with how much the kids want that fruit."

A community builder for the school

"Because we're a K-8 and this is in one location, it brings everybody down to the same area, it doesn't matter which grade you're in," said Friesen. "It's also removed the stigma around who needs food and who could use a little extra. It's open to everyone, staff included. It's been a really positive environment."

Friesen added, that if you show up at Parkland first thing in the morning, the atmosphere feels home-like with a feeling of family. 

When she first came to work at Parkland, Friesen noted the school had some breakfast food available but for kids who would come ask for it. Friesen said that mainly made it the responsibility of one of the adults in the school to know a student needed food. 

"Kids aren't necessarily always good at being able to express that, or even knowing that they are (hungry). With this, it doesn't matter. Everybody's morning can look different, a parent’s morning can look different, but everybody can come to school knowing that if they are hungry, there is something to eat here, and we can start our day off well." 

Parkland Elementary School is one of the elementary feeder schools for Winkler's Garden Valley Collegiate. GVC also recently received a grant for their breakfast and snack program, for $20,000.

~With files by Connie Bailey~