Weekends and school breaks can be challenging times for low-income families when children are home full-time. Financial resources are needed to supplement a grocery budget to ensure that most basic needs are covered.

Mount Pleasant Elementary School in Vancouver is asking for a grant of $9,000 to help alleviate those issues for about 10 families with students attending its school.

Every Friday, the program issues each family with a gift card for the local grocery store to purchase necessary basics to get through the weekend.  Other gift cards are distributed before school breaks such as Christmas and Easter.