CBC Quebec has launched its Make the Season Kind campaign. It’s our annual campaign that focuses on food insecurity, while also celebrating kindness, generosity and community spirit around the province.
Dozens of elementary school students headed to their cafeteria earlier this month after a morning outing to a local farm in the Eastern Townships — and they were hungry.
The menu choices feel endless and balanced: lettuce, hardboiled eggs, beef, chicken, ham, cheese, tomatoes, edamame, mango, brussel sprouts.
Pickles seem to be the fan favourite.
It was Salad Bar day at the school — a weekly extravaganza on Thursdays and a delight for students at the English-language Waterloo Elementary School, which is located in the municipality that bears the same name.
The meals on Salad Bar day are free. The event provides an opportunity to teach children about the importance of eating a balanced meal.
“The thing I love the most about salad bar is… the whole thing!” says Nathaniel Tapp, a seven-year-old student.
The salad bar event began as a pilot project for students in the Grade 1 and 2 class. It’s since been expanded to the school’s 127 students and its staff. (Alison Brunette/CBC)
Cindy Elston has a spring in her step and a sparkle in her eye as she bounces around the cafeteria reminding kids to wear their shoes, asking them about their morning and encouraging them to take one last bite, seconds or even trying something they’ve never had.
“I dare you to go try something new,” Elston, who is the school’s community involvement and personal development agent, tells one of the children in a playful tone.
LISTEN | Learn more about Salad Bar day at Waterloo Elementary School:
Breakaway11:19Thursday Salad Bar at Waterloo Elementary School fills bellies, teaches kids about nutrition
The community of Waterloo in the Eastern Townships is coming together to offer students healthy lunches at the local English elementary school, with several initiatives including a popular salad bar on Thursday afternoons.
Word about this initiative spread in the small town of a little more than 5,000 residents.
Farmers in the area have since come together hoping to do their part to make sure kids in the community have access to fresh and healthy foods.
The importance of nutritional literacy
On that Thursday earlier this month, the kids lined up and served themselves with the help of a team of volunteers. The team of five women were smiling from ear to ear as they chopped cucumbers and roasted potatoes.
Salad Bar day began as a pilot project a few years ago.
Elston has been instrumental in making the weekly get-together free for all 127 students and staff at the school.
“I fell in love with the idea of it and was looking for ways to keep it going and make it bigger,” she recounted.
The school believes the salad bar initiative can have a positive impact on children’s mental health and academic performance. (Alison Brunette/CBC)
She says she met community member Johanne Coiteux at the Brome Fair in the town of Lac-Brome. Coiteux was eager to help.
Elston said Coiteux found an anonymous donor, created a birthday fundraiser and got a group of friends together to volunteer.
- For more on CBC Quebec’s Make the Season Kind campaign, click here.
Now, once a week, Elston heads to the local grocery store with the donated money and stocks up with the healthiest, low-cost items she can find.
“Nutritional literacy is so important because we know what food does to a child’s success, it really does set them up for a positive moment or a positive day and it does affect their mental health and their love of learning,” Elston said.
“We know food security is really hard for our families. The cost and inflation has made it almost impossible to provide fully balanced and healthy meals at home, so if we can do our part here to relieve some of that from our families, at least it’s a bonus.”
Volunteers at Waterloo Elementary School are all smiles come lunch time. (Alison Brunette)
Local farmers get involved
Elston acknowledges there is a need for a more robust lunch program at the school.
She says the school is looking to form partnerships with other local farmers or distributors.
‘’It’s unfortunate, but the local grocery store is expensive, so to provide more variety we’re looking at ways we can also partner with others,” she said.
Those partnerships are already beginning.
LISTEN | Farmer Paul Sauvé talks about his farm’s involvement in the project:
Breakaway14:26An Eastern Township’s farmer’s quest to improve his community
One community in the Eastern Townships is coming together to make sure students at the local English elementary school have access to healthy lunches. Host Alison Brunette visited a farm that is a part of the effort.
Paul Sauvé owns a farm in neighbouring Shefford, about six kilometres from the school. When he got wind of the Thursday salad bar, he asked to visit the school.
He said he was really touched by what he saw.
‘’I saw beautiful people, teachers, people who are there to help benevolently, a facility which is in good shape, but also some suffering,” Sauvé recalled.
He said he got together with other farmers and their suppliers in the region to provide the food for the annual Christmas lunch for staff and students at the school.
But Sauvé says it’s important for him that students in need have access to healthy food options five days a week on a continuous basis, so he’s also help set up a donation structure where people can contribute regularly.
“We produce good quality food, how could we tolerate suffering in our neighbourhood that pertains to children and food?’’ he asked.
Sauvé has also donated $50,000 to the school this year and has pledged to donate the same next year.
He wants the free salad bar to be applied year-round.
‘’It would be amazing if this one lunch could inspire a spirit of good nutrition 365 days a year,” he said.
