Breakfast Program

The World Health Organization states that nutrition is the foundation for health and development. Healthy children learn better, are stronger, more productive, and have a better chance of breaking the cycles of poverty that they are in and realizing their full potential.

Research has shown that:

1. hungry children have more health problems such as anemia, weight loss, frequent colds, and infections;
2. insufficient food intake in children is associated with impaired growth and mental development;
3. hungry children have been shown to have higher school absences, and impaired learning compared with other children;
4. psycho-social functioning, manifested by behavioral and attention problems in school, has been shown to be impaired in children of low income families experiencing hunger;
5. healthy growth and development in general are impaired in the face of food insufficiency, and children are less likely to succeed as healthy citizens over the long term as a result.

The Gary Bennett Family Fund has financially supported the Breakfast Programs at:

1. Spring Valley Elementary School,
2. Raymer Elementary,
3. Spring Valley Middle School,
4. Central High School,
5. Rutland Senior Secondary,
6. Rutland Learning Centre,
7. Westside Learning Centre.

These schools are in catchment areas with a significant degree of families under financial stress.

The Breakfast Program is a collaborative effort between:

1. The Gary Bennett Family Fund
2. The Central Okanagan Foundation
3. School District #23
4. Super Store
5. Our Individual Donors

These schools provide a low-barrier (no restrictions), healthy breakfast to any student that wants it, every day of the school year.

The Fund provides gift cards from Super Store to the organizers of the breakfast programs at these schools.  These organizers can then purchase the various foods that they need when they need them.

This process ensures that 100% of your donation goes into food purchases.