By Sheldon Spackman

Helping Kids In Need

The Mustard Seed expands school lunch program into Sylvan Lake

Jul 23, 2020 | 2:34 PM

The Mustard Seed, in partnership with Chinooks Edge School Division and Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools, has announced the expansion of its School Lunch Program into Sylvan Lake.

The program strives to provide meals for students in need who may not have one otherwise. Officials note the quality of food that is provided is essential and an important ingredient that contributes to the children’s success and development.

Byron Bradley, Managing Director for The Mustard Seed in Central Alberta, says the idea for the expansion came after they received a grant from the Alberta government.

“Before COVID, it was a pilot project with the Alberta government to see how groups across the province could provide nutritional lunches to our vulnerable students across the province,” he explains. “So in partnership with five different school divisions, we put in an application for that grant, and were awarded that grant to expand our School Lunch Program across Red Deer and central Alberta.”

Bradley says The Mustard Seed has been working very closely with Chinook’s Edge School Division, and together, have identified a number of communities to possibly expand the program to in the future.

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“The first one we kicked-off here was the beautiful town of Sylvan Lake,” he exclaims. “Currently, we are out in Sylvan Lake delivering fresh lunches twice a week. In the summer, it’ll be kind of smaller numbers, but come the fall, we hope to be in as many schools as possible out in Sylvan Lake, and I would probably guess it would be somewhere in the 50-100 lunches I would assume?”

After initially making Sylvan Lake’s lunches in Red Deer, Bradley notes, The Mustard Seed is now in the process of transitioning their food and lunch preparations over to Sylvan Lake as well.

“We actually have secured a space in Sylvan Lake and as the numbers grow come the fall, we want to have all the support out in Sylvan Lake by Sylvan Lake volunteers,” he suggests. “We’re already building some great new partnerships out there with other local groups and volunteers, and so we’ll be looking for volunteer support from the local community to help us prepare and deliver the lunches.”

In terms of future expansions, Bradley identifies Innisfail, and other smaller, rural communities throughout the area.

“Through our partnership with Chinook’s Edge School Division, they are a very large school division across a number of communities as far as Sundre,” says Bradley. “So we’re just working with them to see how we can care for their students as best as possible. But likely Innisfail would be the next community.”

In 2019, the program is said to have provided over 64,000 lunches to disadvantaged students throughout 35 schools in Red Deer.

“We’re just really thankful that the government is providing this opportunity to care for our vulnerable families and vulnerable students,” declares Bradley. “Caring for the nutrition of these students is of utmost importance for them to receive a good education. They need to start with good nutrition so that they can learn and comprehend, and so we’re just really excited to partner with the Alberta government in this.”

Next month, The Mustard Seed is hosting its Amazing Car Race fundraiser.

For more information on the family-friendly, city-wide scavenger hunt, click here.