Bashaw School’s Nutrition Breakfast Program has the important job of giving about 150 students a nutritious start to their day three times a week, but the program could use a few more helping hands.
Hanna Norman, an educational assistant at the school, took over as the main organizer of the program in September, 2022.
Norman said it’s a good program because it fills a need, but also gets community members involved, through the volunteers that help out to the local businesses that sponsor them.
“I think it’s important to have in school,” said Norman. “Your brain works better when you have good food.”
The program provides a hot breakfast on Tuesdays, a grab-and-go snack on Wednesdays and a cold breakfast on Thursdays.
“There is honestly nothing like seeing all the children’s faces light up as they walk through the school doors and grab some yummy food,” said Norman. “It is truly the best.”
While Norman isn’t sure how long the breakfast program has been running, she said it was operating when she was a student there four years ago, and it likely started eight-to-10 years ago.
The program is open to all students that attends the school. No registration is required.
Some of the students they serve are ones who take the bus to school. While they ate breakfast at home, some are hungry again by the time they arrive to school.
While there are vending machines in the school, they like to encourage filling up on healthier snacks in the morning, said Norman.
Hot breakfast can include pancakes, french toast, or ham and egg sandwiches.
Cold breakfast is usually cereal, fruit salad, yogurt parfaits or instant oatmeal.
On Wednesdays, students can take a muffin, apple sauce, granola bar or piece of fruit to go.
The program is currently well funded thanks to community partners and sponsorships but wouldn’t ever turn down donations, she said.
They currently have four ladies who volunteer but they aren’t able to come in every morning.
Enough volunteers would help ensure they could prepare enough food and wouldn’t need to be in a rush, said Norman.
On hot breakfast mornings, volunteers start cooking at 7 a.m. On cold breakfast days, they start at 8 a.m.
Norman said if you’re not able to come in for a morning, they could still use some help on the afternoons they do some baking for the program.
Those interested in volunteering for the breakfast program can contact the school.