Three Kenora Catholic initiatives were given a big financial boost on Monday by the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation. In total $19,400 was handed out to the three programs.
At St. Louis School the Nutrition Program was given $5,800 to continue feeding children who cannot afford meals or who simply forgot their food.
"In the morning we have the breakfast program and you can go there if you forgot your breakfast or didn't eat. We also have a snack basket if you run out of food or you didn't pack enough. I think these are important because we are active and we focus better if we're not hungry," said Grade 6 student, Monika Favreau.
Favreau was joined by fellow student Zi-Anne Ricard, Learning Commons Assistant Charlotte Brown and Principal Maureen Frankcom to accept the grant.
Pope John Paul II School was given $9,500 for their nutrition program. Grade 5 student, Brooklyn Kejick, also the secretary of the student council, spoke about the program.
"In the morning we have the breakfast program and it's to give children who haven't had breakfast something first thing in the morning so they're powered up and ready for the day. If you don't eat you don't have the energy to do things, I know when I'm hungry I don't think very well," she said.
The school also runs a lunch program which Grade 6 student and council president, Julia Carganillo, spoke about.
"Our lunch program is for kids who don't have lunch so they can get a healthy lunch. Ms. Novak runs it and she makes a healthy lunch for all of our students," she said.
Marnie Buffet is the Early Years lead at the KCDSB and helped the schools submit the grant applications. She was extremely thankful for the grants.
"At Kenora Catholic, we want every child to be able to reach their full potential. We know that this cannot happen on an empty stomach and thanks to the phenomenal group of donors and individuals who make up the Community Foundation, our students will be receiving the nutrition they need for the academic and social success that they are capable of. Words alone cannot express how very grateful we are to the Community Foundation in their tireless pursuit of making Kenora such a great place to live (and learn)," she said.
Buffet joined Carganillo, Kejick, fellow student Lucas Tacknyk and Principal Tammy Bush to accept the grant.
The third cheque was made out to the OFSAA Girls Volleyball Tournament for $4,100. The St. Thomas Aquinas senior girls' team is hosting this year's 'A' Provincial Championships.
"This money will go towards the overall cost of running OFSAA," said Megan Derouard, head coach of the Saints senior girls' volleyball team. "It will go towards the cost of the sport court, the facility rentals, the officials and more. This event is not a small budget, it's large so we're lucky to have Laurel Dufresne and Heather Kasprick as our fundraising chairs and to have opportunities in the community, like the Community Foundation, where we can apply for grants."
The OFSAA championships will take place in Kenora from March 4-6.
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