Surrey Schools serves more than 100,000 meals thanks to generous donors

July 13, 2020

Over the past three months, the Surrey School District's school-based meal program dished out 100,315 meals to students in need.

During the suspension of in-class instruction, the program served nutritious meals to more than 2,100 students, with a combination of drive-through and in-person pick up. Social distancing and other infection control practices were closely followed to ensure the safety of staff and students.

"Food security and nutrition are among the most important needs of our students," said Surrey Board of Education Chair Laurie Larsen. "With the disruption to in-class learning, we are thankful for every donation and proud to continue providing this program seamlessly to students across our district."

"Our community really stepped up and supported the program through corporate and individual donations," said Superintendent Dr. Jordan Tinney. "These donors allowed us to not only continue providing meals for the students who previously participated in our school-based breakfast and lunch programs, but also the new students who were directed to the program for support during the pandemic."

The adapted meal program is funded partly by generous donations from organizations and individuals, including:

The United Way of the Lower Mainland
The Breakfast Club of Canada
The Vancouver Sun Children's Fund
Park Ridge Homes
Tzu Chi Foundation Canada
Zenterra Developments
RBC Foundation
Southwest Contracting
PCI Developments
Mount Lebanon Society
Mr. William Vandekerkhove of Super Save Disposal
Chris Theodoropoulos & Maureen McCann

In addition, many other local businesses, organizations and individuals contributed generously in support of feeding Surrey students during those months, some of which support the program year-round. Prior to spring break and the suspension of in-class instruction, the program served breakfast at more than 61 schools, and lunch at 31 sites.

Donations, paired with Community Link grants from the Ministry of Education, go towards food for students in need. Staffing and administration costs are covered by the Surrey School District. The meal program will resume in September at the start of the 2020-21 school year.

Additionally, City Dream Centre, in partnership with the United Way of the Lower Mainland, is providing food hampers over the summer to families across our district that need support over the next two months. City Dream Centre staff and volunteers will be distributing these hampers to families from four schools.

If you are interested in becoming a donor to support this important initiative, please contact the district's Business Development department by phone at 604-595-6066, or email donations@surreyschools.ca. A tax receipt can be provided for all donations of $25 or more.

Media Contact:
Ritinder Matthew
matthew_r@surreyschools.ca
604-595-6189