‘Food, warmth, love’ is the mantra at Yale Secondary
“The way the economy’s gone, you’ll have a family of five and a mother and they don’t have anything. They don’t have coats, proper shoes, food … nothing.” Cameron Smith’s mantra of “food, warmth, love” is the bedrock upon which he and other school counsellors and youth-care workers win the trust of the 200 at-risk […]
Feeding, clothing students is constant concern for Nanaimo principal
Georgia Avenue Community School is asking The Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-A-School program for $10,000 to feed, clothe and provide necessities for students and families who will otherwise go without. NANAIMO — “This morning I had a student who came to school just shivering because it was really cold and he was in what was obviously a […]
Students’ struggles prompt additional $25,000 donation from Vancouver lawyer
Vancouver lawyer Jack Kowarsky, a trustee of the Lohn Foundation, said he was increasing his support for Adopt-A-School after reading the articles The Lohn Foundation, a longtime donor to the Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-A-School campaign, is donating a further $25,000 to AAS in response to stories concerning the plight of students in the province’s alternate school […]
Nelson school in need of winter clothes, food hampers
This year has seen a spike in the numbers of children arriving hungry. NELSON — Blewett Elementary is built on a mountain in a rural community of the same name just outside of Nelson. It might be a small community school — just 101 students — but its problems with hungry children aren’t minor. About […]
Vancouver developer commits nearly $200,000 to feed schoolkids
PCI Developments has been supporting The Sun’s charitable campaign for a decade. Tim Grant, the president of PCI Developments, said the shock of learning children were going to school hungry led the company to support The Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-A-School campaign. The real estate company has constructed office and residential towers across the Lower Mainland for […]
Clothing, food always in need for young students
École Squamish Elementary principal shops for enough food for those who arrive at school hungry, roughly a quarter of her 400 students. Every week, Sarah Hain, the principal at École Squamish Elementary, has the extra-curricular job of shopping for enough food for those who arrive at school hungry, roughly a quarter of her 400 students. […]
Students in B.C.’s alternate school system among most in need
Applications to Adopt-A-School from a number of alternate schools around the province total more than $100,000 Applications from schools seeking help from The Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-A-School campaign point to an education system struggling to deal with the effects of poverty on students. Reports from teachers about the lack of food, clothing, and basic necessities in […]
School struggles to feed kids as donations dwindle
‘Since we started our intensive breakfast program last year, we’ve seen a steady increase in the number of students wanting to come to school in the morning.’ With more students than ever finding their way to Fraserview Learning Centre, it’s a bad time for this alternative school on 7th Avenue to be suffering a funding […]
Breakfast program key to reducing absenteeism
‘Once you get their bellies full, their physical and mental well being is better and their educational outcomes are better.’ Gurpaul Sohal, principal of Gladstone Secondary in East Vancouver, owes everything good in his life to a public education. So naturally, he wants his 990 students to thrive in school. “I ended up teaching at […]
Feeding kids in the school of hard knocks
Outreach staff of the Vancouver Alternate Secondary School spend their days connecting to street kids … on the streets. Some days the staff of the Vancouver Alternate Secondary School will spend their time searching the Downtown Eastside for a student they are concerned about. They’ll visit hangouts, housing shelters, parks and tent camps. “They are […]