CFAX Santas Anonymous answers call for help to save Sooke school food programs

Educational assistant Shelley Crowley has been rolling out her breakfast cart at Journey Middle School in Sooke every school day for the past nine years.

“We have cereal, eggs, we always have toast,” said Crowley.

It began with just breakfast but has now expanded into a lunch program as well. The school serves more than 100 meals per day.

“It’s never-ending,” said Crowley.

Kelly Dvorak, the school's vice-principal, says demand for the program has been growing as families continue to struggle with the rising cost of almost everything.

“It absolutely takes a village,” said Dvorak.

"We have students who, for a variety of reasons, are coming hungry to school and they need that fuel to learn."

All the food is provided by the Sooke Food Bank, including to two similar programs at Saseenos Elementary School and Sooke Elementary School.

Now the Sooke Food Bank is seeing unprecedented demand for its services within the community.

“Today we’ve already signed up six families and we’re not even at 11 o’clock,” said Kim Kaldal, president of the Sooke Food Bank.

To go along with that surging demand, donations are down.

The Sooke Food Bank is now seeing those who used to be regular donors, coming to the bank themselves for help.

“We’re up to about 10 families a day,” said Kaldal.

That has put serious pressure on the Sooke Food Bank’s ability to support the school programs.

“They are vital and we can’t stop them now,” said Kaldal. “We have to keep going forward.”

Therefore a decision was made by the non-profit to reach out to another non-profit for help – CFAX Santas Anonymous Society.

The non-profit responded in a big way. It presented the Sooke Food Bank a cheque on Thursday for $7,500 to cover the costs of those school food programs for the remainder of this school year.

Santas wasn’t done there as the need in Sooke is almost hitting a tipping point.

“We took a look at what is going to happen in September because it’s just around the corner,” said Christine Hewitt Goodsir, executive director of CFAX Santas Anonymous Society.

Another pledge of $17,500 will go to the Sooke Food Bank in September to cover its commitment to the schools' lunch and breakfast programs next year.

The donation will ensure that "the kids returning to school will have food,” said Hewitt Goodsir – offering much needed relief to the Sooke Food Bank.

“We’re just so grateful,” said Kaldal.

“This means that we don’t have to worry,” said Crowley.