William Konkin Elementary parent advisory committee (PAC) and Burns Lake Group Home (BLGH) are collaborating together to prepare and deliver nutritious lunches for the students at William Konkin Elementary (WKE) school on Fridays.
“Our dedicated PAC has been working tirelessly to make this partnership possible,” said Hot Lunch Coordinator of PAC Carrie MacLellan.
MacLellan is looking forward to launch this hot meal program to bridge the community for the benefit of their students.
The first hot lunch was scheduled on Oct. 6 for distribution.
“We have four group home residents and two parent volunteers scheduled to organize the meals and deliver them to each classroom.”
BLGH believes this collaboration will not only benefit WKE students but also their residents for a meaningful engagement and communication with the school community.
“We are looking forward to working with the residents and getting to know who they are. Hopefully, we can bring a smile to their faces and show them how valuable they are to volunteer their time to make this program better.”
“It also gets the residents into the community and school giving them responsibility and a sense of accomplishment knowing we can not run the program without them. It brings awareness to students that those with disabilities can participate in activities and make a difference.”
Details about placing meal orders, menu options, and costs are provided in their online application.
“Our meals are ordered through our online program called Munchalunch where families can login to their account and select which items they would like off the menu. All meals are pre-ordered so we know how many to prepare.”
Finding volunteers to run the hot lunch program can be difficult and PAC always appreciates the extra help.
“We ran with a very small crew last year. Having residents from the group home allows the program to require less parent volunteers,” said MacLellan.
Burns Lake Christian Supportive Society Executive Director Kathy Janzen expressed her excitement for being part of such an important program.
“We believe strong community connections contributes to their self confidence and cultivates a sense of belonging and we are excited for the opportunity to partner with WKE on their hot lunch program and we hope it opens the doors for future collaborations.”