The GVFB is pleased to announce a refresh of our monthly offering for families of preschoolers aged 2-5. Cynthia Boulter, Chief Development Officer sums up our reasons for improving this critical program.
“When I joined the GVFB last year and began to learn about our food programs, our Kids Picks initiative was nothing I could proudly stand behind, especially as parent.
We were not adequately supporting the nutritional requirements of some of our most vulnerable clients, children between 2 and 5 years old. Inspired by Food Banks Canada’s “After the Bell”, a campaign providing food to children during summer months when school supports are on hiatus, and guided by a dietician, we put together a nutritionally rich offering of healthy foods, high in protein and iron, and low in salt and sugar.
The contents of our new Preschooler Packs support brain and muscle development, and will also create a regular supply of diverse, healthy food to encourage building good eating habits at this critical age. We have been fortunate to receive initial funding from both the Canucks for Kids Fund and Safeway, but we still need more! There is a reason why food insecure families can’t regularly access these types of foods, because they are the most expensive. The GVFB wants to take on this cost for food insecure families, but we need another $75,000 in support to fully fund the program for the first year.”
We are proud to share that some of the food items distributed in Preschooler Packs include: canned salmon, peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, oatmeal, hummus, whole grain breads, cereals and canned beans. Easy recipes featuring different food items will be distributed to clients to support testing out what might be unfamiliar foods. We’ll also be following up with clients to solicit feedback on experiences with the new Preschooler Packs.
If you would like to make a donation to the GVFB’s Preschooler Packs program, please contact Cynthia directly at [email protected]