Kelowna charity that serves breakfast to hundreds of school children needs a new packing facility

Photo: Food for Thought

Food for Thought needs a new packing facility for its school breakfast and backpack programs before the start of the next school year.

Food for Thought needs a new home.

The program operated by the charity Hope For Nations, serves breakfast to over 700 students daily at Central Okanagan public schools. It is searching for a new packing facility.

“For the past several years, we have been grateful for the use of the space at New Life Centre. But as their facility is being redeveloped, we need to find a new packing location before the start of the 2023/24 school year,” says Food for Thought lead program manager Chloe Kam.

She says the organization needs a location that can accommodate the packing of food items on Monday mornings and is accessible for volunteers. It would need to have space for a fridge/freezer and equipment storage during the rest of the week.

“We understand that finding such a space is no easy task, but we are confident that with the support of our community, we can overcome this challenge,” says Kam.

She calls the school nutrition program a critical initiative that serves children from all backgrounds. “We cannot afford to let it falter. Our team is reaching out to the community for help in finding a new space to continue our operations.”

Food for Thought not only prepares daily breakfasts for hundreds of hungry students, it also runs the Starfish Backpack Program, which sends home nutritious food to families in need. Some of the produce is grown at the charity’s garden at Helen’s Acres in Kelowna.

Kam is asking anyone who might have new space for the packing facility to reach out to [email protected] or call 250-712-2007.