A new after-school snack program is being created at the Agape Centre in Cornwall.
As was first reported by Seaway News via Twitter, the Agapè Centre is a recipient of the Rural Kids Grant program, an intiative of the Grocery Foundation and the Ontario Association of Food Banks to increase the amount of fresh, healthy food to children in the community.
With this grant, the Agape Centre will be able to fund a 42-week Kids’ Health Zone that will increase access to nutritious foods.
"Our clients’ children will have an opportunity to drop in after school where they can pick up a fruit, a vegetable and a dairy product as their after-school snack," Agape said in a news release. "The program will be provided free of charge to our food bank 'family' clients. We will also provide fun recipes and opportunities to try more exotic vegetables and fruits like spinach and mango."
The goal of the program is to create an environment where kids in need can have more accessible, readily-available nutritious foods to meet their nutritional goals on a daily basis.
The launch of this program is tentatively scheduled for the beginning of December.
“I was so excited to receive the call from the Ontario Association of Food Banks. We really want to provide our clients with better food choices, especially kids. This is a great start,” said Alyssa Blais, executive director of the Agapè Centre. “Children need a minimum of five fruits and vegetables every day. We want to help them met these goals."
