'Fills our hearts' and kids' tummies: Westmount school donates to Thunder Bay family snack program

The Thunder Bay family breakfast and snack program will be handing out packages again Friday afternoon, thanks in part to a donation from Westmount Public School in the northwestern Ontario city.

"It really is something that fills our hearts because we know we're doing good in our community," said Eric Fredrickson, the principal of the elementary school.

When he learned Roots to Harvest had been short-shipped and needed items for this week's delivery, Fredrickson remembered the approximately 200 boxes of cereal, pancake mix and granola bars his school had on hand for its breakfast program. The program isn't running right now because schools have been closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus during the gloabal COVID-19 pandemic.

Fredrickson helped coordinate a plan to get those foodstuffsto Roots to Harvest.

But then, he heard from staff and members of the school's Parent Council telling him they wanted to do more.

Donations help families in Westmount school community

So Fredrickson worked with the Lakehead Public Schools board office to free up nearly $3500 the school had fundraised for other projects and donated that money to Roots to Harvest as well.

"We also know that it's going to help some of the families in our own school community which is a really important thing for us. When we see 50 or 60 kids coming to breakfast and snack program everyday at our school and we know that we can't help those kids and those families during this time, being able to support a group like Roots to Harvest means that we know we are helping those families.

Family breakfast, snack program pick-up times

People can pick up the family breakfast and snack packages from 1 p.m. 3 p.m. at the following locations:

• Our Lady of Loretto Church, 290 Grenville Avenue
• St. Patricks Cathedral, 211 Archibald Street
• St. Agnes Church, 1019 Brown Street
• Evergreen Clubhouse, 139 Heron Street
• Windsor Street Resource Centre, Unit 16-288 Windsor Street
• Academy Resource Centre, 14 Trillium Way
• Limbrick Resource Centre, Unit 97K
• Willow Springs
• Kakabeka School

The Dew Drop Inn will be distributing the packages from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Families can pick up their packages at Whitefish Valley School from 5 to 7 p.m.