Food bank seeks help ensuring kids get healthy food over the summer

A food bank program aimed at ensuring children get enough to eat over the summer vacation is looking for donations of food and money.

The After the Bell initiative from Food Banks Canada provides kids with "snack packs" of nutritious food to help supplement their summer diet. 

Chantal Senecal, the executive director of the Food Depot Alimentaire in Moncton, said that when the school year ends, many kids lose a major source of food.

During the year, "we run a student nutrition program for Moncton and southeast region with Breakfast Clubs of Canada in the local schools and we know firsthand that a lot of kids are accessing food in schools right now,"  Senecal said Friday. 

"Thirty per cent, over 30 per cent of food bank users are children. So it's definitely a concern during the summertime."

So far, New Brunswick has received 7,000 snack packs, including 300 at the Peter McKee Community Food Centre in Moncton, run by the Food Depot.

But it's estimated that the province needs 15,000 snack packs.

"It is definitely a support to a lot of kids in our province, but the food banks are always looking for extra help to be able to supplement that for sure," said Senecal.

Looking for donations

Senecal said donations of either food or funds would help food banks make up the shortfall in snack packs.

She suggested donating low-sugar, low-sodium food.

"Things in the snack packs that Food Banks Canada provides is like a hummus and oatmeal, and we add fresh fruits and vegetables and there's organic non-perishable milk," said Senecal. 

"So that's what we're looking for."