Students and staff prepare daily hot breakfasts and lunch for kids at Georgia Avenue Elementary. (Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools)

By Alex Rawnsley

make a meal

‘You’re seeing kids take the initiative:’ Nanaimo elementary lunch program boosting student skills

Feb 26, 2023 | 8:35 AM

NANAIMO — Facing an increased and, at times, dire need, teachers at a local elementary school have expanded on a long-standing meal program.

Students at Georgia Avenue Elementary School in Nanaimo are benefitting from enormous community support and extra, endless hours put in by teachers and staff to expand a meal and life skills program which serves breakfast, a snack and lunch every day, as well as empowers kids.

Taya Sklapsky, a grade 5-6 teacher involved with the program, said she saw a need while working part-time last year and stepped in to help out.

“I wanted to start teaching kids life skills, so I started coming in on my days off to teach the kids in my class how to work in a kitchen, how to make food, how to prepare a budget. As that kind of evolved, we started seeing a need for more food in the school and we decided to start making lunches.”

Demand for food skyrocketed, with the number of meals made going from roughly 30 to 100 per day.

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External factors like inflation and family dynamics also filter down to kids, and can often indicate whether or not they get proper meals throughout the day.

“It’s definitely a need because we see it fluctuate throughout the year,” Sklapsky said. “You really see a higher need in January and February, after Christmas. The beginning of the year it starts out slow then it kind of goes up toward October and November.”

This year, with Sklapsky returning to full time work, the school’s Child Youth Care team have taken a more active role in running the program.

A PAC (parent advisory council) parent makes sandwiches twice a week, and the school receives donations of food or cash from different businesses, including COBS Bread donating products twice weekly, and Country Grocer contributing $1,000 in groceries every month.

Donations keep the program running.

Sklapsky noted they’re spending upwards of $3,000 a month on food and other supplies presently, due in large part to the increased cost of many items.

In addition to the direct benefit of food in their bellies, Sklapsky said the program also better educates kids on food and shopping, and helps boost confidence.

“We really notice kids would be coming in with nothing for lunches then throughout the year they’d say ‘I went to the dollar store and bought a can of tomato sauce and pasta and I made my own spaghetti for school’. You’re seeing kids take the initiative and actually go out to make their own stuff, talk to the family about waste and being more aware of what they’re buying.”

Georgia Avenue’s meal program is supplemented by community contributions of food as well, including a local group who make muffins to be handed out to kids for snacks.

Those wanting to contribute cash or food to the program can do so by contacting Georgia Avenue elemenaty school.

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