Update on Breakfast with Santa Foundation, MPI Toronto Chapter’s Charity of Choice

Sonya Trines, community outreach worker at Lancaster Public School, reached out to Maria Esteves, Breakfast with Santa Foundation, to attend a meeting regarding the start of Salad Days at the school. According to Lancaster’ statistics, 42.5 per cent of the student population, which is 385 students, is not receiving the proper nutritional value of vegetables. Simply put, they are not eating any vegetables at home at all.

64.9 per cent are eating fruits and 37 per cent are drinking sweet drinks with a fair amount of sugars. Water is going to be encouraged instead of those sweet drinks.

Breakfast with Santa Foundation is already sponsoring A Snack at a Time at Lancaster Public School and Salad Days will fall under the umbrella of the Nutrition 101 Program.

Here are some details:

• Salad Days will commence in March and will continue monthly until the end of the school year.
• 425 children will benefit from this program (including kindergarten students).
• Salad dressing will be made fresh with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
• Smaller children/grades will be served in their own classroom and the older children will eat in the gym.

$2,000 is adequate to provide 425 salad lunches once a month starting in March for a total of 1,700 salad lunches until the end of the current school year – that is $1.17 per student for the nutrition they are not getting now!

The start date is perfect as March is National Nutrition Month and Salad Days will be heavily promoted and advertised at the school. They will also be advertising for students to bring their own container for Salad Days.