Ottawa’s school breakfast program to deliver meal kits to families in need

The Ottawa Network for Education's (ONFE) School Breakfast Program has a plan in order to continue to provide thousands of local children with the nutritious meals they need during this time of physical distancing.

The ONFE anounced Tuesday that it will begin distributing School Breakfast Replacement Kits to families with children who normally access its School Breakfast Program. 

The organization usually dishes out more than 13,500 free, nutritious meals to students who arrive at 190 Ottawa schools.

Each of the new kits will contain items from three food groups, including fresh fruit and 2 per cent milk tetra packs, cereal or bagels, wholegrain crackers, unsweetened applesauce, and granola bars. 

The ONFE says all of the food will be 100 per cent shelf-stable and individually prepackaged, and it will be enough to replace 18 days of school meals.
 
Kits are prepacked in a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certified facility to ensure the highest level of food security and traceability in this COVID-19 environment. Pre-packaged kits relieve community agencies and volunteers the additional burden of sorting and repackaging, which also reduces the amount of food handling.
 
The ONFE says each School Breakfast Replacement Kit will cost $22 — which includes warehousing, packaging, and distribution — so it is calling for the local community to help it meet the need.

For the first wave of meal kit distribution, the organization says it will be prioritizing communities with schools that have the highest student needs, although it is working to finalize models to expand its reach across the entire city.
 
Each donation of ONFE School Breakfast Replacement Kits is eligible for a charitable tax receipt, which will be sent by email.