Calgary organization feeds kids when school nutrition programs close for the summer
Posted May 5, 2018 1:46 pm.
Last Updated May 5, 2018 4:19 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
When school draws to a close in June so do nutrition programs, leaving many kids hungry.
Sutton Garner, 14, and her mother Bobbi Turko, decided to do something about it after watching a story on the news.
“They were showing a news story about summer hunger in the United States and, we were like ‘we never thought about that here’ and we wondered if it was an issue in Calgary.
So, we started doing research and we found out it’s a challenge here and the kids and the families either can’t access the food or the food’s not there,” said Sutton.
That’s when I Can for Kids was born.
Fellow co-founder Bobbi Turko, says they’re raising money to fund 20,000 food packs, which equates to more than 60,000 meals for hungry children and their families.
“Non-perishable contents for our food packs, fresh fruit, peanut butter, and an assortment of other nutritious items for kids to enjoy this summer,” said Turko, who adds when it comes to how many children go hungry in Calgary over the summer it’s a number that’s hard to pin down because it’s often under-reported. I Can for Kids also works to accommodate many unique needs.
“Many of the kids that we support might need us all summer long and others might need us just for a short time. So, depending on the child’s unique needs and their situation we could help the same child for 10 weeks or we can uniquely help many children over the 10 weeks.”
Sutton says the month of May is the best time to donate.
“Right now, for every donation that we receive at ICanForKids.ca Rotary Club of Calgary Olympic will match it up to $10,000. So, it’s a great way for people to double their impact.”
They’re encouraging donors to tag a friend on social media to spread the word using #Tagyoureit or #Tagtoendsummerhunger
For more information, and to donate, head to ICanForKids.ca.
