MEF adds more eggs to school breakfast menu

The question of the day at Parc La Salle School earlier this month was, “How many eggs can you eat on an empty stomach?” The answer is, only one, for then your stomach would no longer be empty.

And the Manitoba Egg Farmers are making sure that there will be fewer empty stomachs starting the day in hundreds of Manitoba Schools with the announcement they will be donating 10,000 dozen eggs to Manitoba Child Nutrition Council’s school breakfast program.

Parc La Salle’s resident chef John Holmes had lots of help in the kitchen, as representatives from the Child Nutrition Council and the Manitoba Egg Farmers joined him to scramble up a batch of eggs for students to launch the MEF egg donation program.

Parc La Salle teacher Deana Matthys served up the results of their efforts to her Grade 2 class, and then the students were treated to a video presentation on “everything eggs”, from the farm to the supermarket, followed by a question and answer period with MEF marketing manager Adriana Findlay.

Matthys said the breakfast program was in place when she came to teach at the school eight years ago, but it has been changing along the way. It used to be smaller and children who needed breakfast came to school early and were fed in the library.

Now breakfast is available to all students, and a tray is delivered to each classroom shortly after the opening opening bell. A typical breakfast, including eggs, hashbrowns, fruit and apple sauce, is served up by teachers to students who line up and then take their plates to their desks.

Parc La Salle principal Derek Marvin says there is pretty good participation in the kindergarten to Grade 4 school’s breakfast program as 133 of 178 students take advantage of the breakfast offered.

The school is fortunate to have custodian John Holmes, a former restaurant operator, to cook for the students every morning. Eggs, fruit and toast are the usual fare and the most popular items are something warm, Marvin says.

Every month the school has a special spirit breakfast, when the whole school eats in the gym. The monthly assembly affords the students an opportunity to have a special meal together with a program centred on one of the virtues connected with the Seven Teachings.

Marvin said the breakfast and snacks program at the school involves the whole community and receives most welcome support from a number of different sources.

St Norbert Collegiate volunteers from the work-ed program are at the school two and a half hours a day, collecting food, washing dishes, preparing food for snacks and baking muffins.

Parc La Salle students also help and teachers volunteer in the pantry. John Holmes is the nutrition co-ordinator and his wife Jen, who is school secretary, also provides a great deal of help, Marvin says.

The school breakfast program has provincial funding for one hour, but it is the donations from supporters like the Child Nutrition Council, the Manitoba Egg Farmers, Giant Tiger, Sysco and CoOp, as well as local condo complexes and the efforts of local community and church groups that are responsible for the success of the program at Parc La Salle School.

Throughout COVID, when students were at home, the school meal program was continued with the delivery of hampers in the community. The value of the nutrition program is clear. Students concentrate on their studies much better if they are not hungry when they begin their school day, the school principal explained.

“Students with empty bellies are not thinking about studying, but about how hungry they are.”

CNC’s community dietician Clara Birnie, who participated in the egg donation launch, said the Child Nutrition Council supports 400 schools with breakfast and/or snacks programs and the majority of those schools have some combination, depending on the needs of the students.

The focus is always on nutrition and its impact on health. Increased access to healthy food has a definite influence on educational outcomes and behaviour, she explains.

“The Manitoba Egg Farmers coupons for 120,000 free eggs, distributed by the Child Nutrition Council, will help stretch meal program budgets across the province and feed children high-protein meals every day.