Fifty-one students were served free breakfast at Marie Sharpe Elementary School on Wednesday morning by volunteers from the Williams Lake Walmart as part of the daily breakfast club initiative.
Store manager John Harrison and cashiers Kathy Cochlin and Suzy Foster were on hand dealing out toast, apple slices, and granola to hungry students. The volunteering comes on the heels of a fundraising campaign by the Williams Lake Walmart to help local breakfast clubs.
“We just finished fundraising $4,700,” said Harrison. He notes that their goal was $4,400 and that with an additional donation from Walmart Head Office, they were able to successfully donate $6,700 to the Breakfast Club of Canada.
Donations like this are essential to keeping the program running. Marie Sharpe Principal Calvin Dubray said their program, which is going into its third year, receives donations from local businesses and clubs like the Save-on-Foods bakery, Salvation Army and Lions and Rotary clubs. The rest of their funding comes from the Breakfast Club of Canada who, according to Dubray, have supplied the club with “things they can provide to help us run more efficiently.”
Ryan Baker, a programs analyst for the Breakfast Club of Canada was also on site, providing the servers with a fresh supply of toast to butter up and looking for ways to help out. It looks like a new dishwasher is on the way for the breakfast club, thanks to support from the non-profit organization that provides nutritious breakfast for students in 1,600 programs across Canada.
“We want all kids across Canada in a position to be their best selves,” said Baker.
Marie Sharpe Elementary School students benefit daily from the breakfast club program, which is supported by Montreal Canadiens netminder Carey Price and his wife Angela, who are Breakfast Club of Canada ambassadors.
paige.mueller@wltribune.com
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