Kids who have always depended on school lunch programs for a stable meal will not go hungry while schools are closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new lunch program is a collaboration between Regina Education and Action on Childhood Hunger (REACH) along with Chili 4 Children, the Salvation Army and the City of Regina.
“It’s all about a team effort in our city. It happens all the time in our community. When people are in need, people come together and do some really wonderful things,” Mayor Michael Fougere said while announcing the program at City Hall on Wednesday.
Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) is providing kitchen staff and facilities at Evraz Place to prepare 1,000 bagged lunches that will be dropped off by city workers at community centres. The Mosaic Company has also donated $50,000 to make the program possible.
The mayor said the lunch program is an important initiative to fill the gaps for families experiencing food insecurity so they will not be left hungry during the pandemic.
“We see this as an amazing example of how people work together and how they provide help to those most in need,” Fougere said.
Kids can pick up a week’s supply of lunches on different days at rotating locations around the city; the list will be posted on Regina.ca.
The program launches on Thursday at the mmawyatitn centre between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. The Core Ritchie Neighbourhood Centre will be the next location for lunches on Friday afternoon.