County shoppers feed meters to help hungry students

Prince Edward and Hastings Learning Foundation executive director Meribeth deSnoo and Food for Learning program coordinator Kelli Brace receive $1,718.92 from acting mayor Jim Dunlop while Rick Jones, of Rotary, and John Thompson of the Prince Edward Federation of Agriculture look on. The groups, along with Prinzen Ford, are sponsors of the holiday Feed the Meter campaign for food programs at local schools.

Four new breakfast programs have opened up in Prince Edward County, due in part to funds raised during the Feed the Meter holiday campaign and to a grant from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.

Due to the funding, snack programs at Athol, CML, Pinecrest and Sophiasburgh schools become a more substantial morning meal program.

“There are students who need nutrition in every school,” said, Maribeth deSnoo, executive director of The Hastings and Prince Edward Learning Foundation. More than 30 per cent of elementary school students and 60 per cent of secondary school students attend school without eating breakfast.

“Every child has the right to proper nutrition and research has shown that healthy eating affects their ability to learn,” said deSnoo. “Eliminating hunger as a barrier to learning helps many students reach their full learning potential in the classroom.  The demand for healthy food at school continues to rise in our communities.  Last year alone, Food for Learning programs provided 880,512 meals and snacks to students in Hastings and Prince Edward counties.”

The communities of Belleville, Quinte West and Prince Edward County put $25,396.84 into parking meters, gave sponsor donations and community donations to support local student nutrition programs through school breakfast, lunch and snack programs.

The funds fell short of the $30,000 campaign goal, but were a few hundred dollars higher than last year in Prince Edward County. Through the support of the communities and DBIAs of Belleville, Quinte West and Prince Edward County, parking was free at the meters downtown throughout the month of December.  Visitors and shoppers in the downtown areas were invited to continue to ‘Feed the Meters” as a donation to the Food for Learning programs.  All funds raised in a particular community will be shared among the schools in that community.

The County raised $1,718.92; Trenton $5,922 and Belleville $7,386.92. Sponsors in the County include Prinzen Ford, Prince Edward Federation of Agriculture and the Rotary Club of Picton