A.A. Wright Public School were the proud recipients of a grant from the Chatham Kent Community Foundation and South Kent Wind, to go towards their snack bin program.
At a recent ceremony held at the Wallaceburg Adult Activity Centre, the school was handed a cheque for $2,000.
“This keeps the snack bin program viable,” said Ben Hazzard, principal at the school. “We run a snack bin everyday that everyone of our 300 children are able to access some healthy, nutritious food to keep them going throughout the day at the second nutrition break at A.A. Wright.”
Hazzard said the kids can choose items like cheese strings, fresh fruit or different crackers.
“Lots of different healthy food to keep them going through the day to keep them learning,” he said. “So when they get to that post-lunch dip, they can have some good nutrition, so we really appreciate this fund to keep it going.”
Michelle Freeburn, educational assistant with the school and volunteer with the snack bin program, said the $2,000 will carry the program for a total of about three months.
Hazzard added the program costs about 20 cents per child, per day at the school.
“Michelle coordinates this very well,” he said. “They keep the bins full and moving in and out of the classrooms all day. It can;t happen without the dedication of our staff.”
The Chatham Kent Community Foundation and South Kent Wind recently announced their latest wave of grant recipients across Chatham-Kent, and four Wallaceburg organizations were included in the mix.
In total, 19 Chatham-Kent charitable organizations will be receiving grants totalling $130,533 before the end of the year.
The grants range in size from $3,000 to $20,000.
Watch for more stories about the grant recipients on the Sydenham Current.
In the photo: From left, Hugh Logan, Executive Director, Chatham Kent Community Foundation; Janet Barnes, Committee Member, South Kent Wind Fund; Michelle Freeburn, educational assistant at A.A. Wright and volunteer with the snack program; Ben Hazzard, A.A. Wright principal; and Pat Murray, Stake Holder Relations, Pattern Energy.
