Remoted Crawford Bay faculty faces challenges with resiliency.
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CRAWFORD BAY — It’s unlikely that almost all British Columbians might level a finger at this tiny village of 350 residents on a map.
It sits in stunning isolation among the many Purcell mountains on Freeway 3A. An hour’s drive south is Creston and the Idaho border, and an hour’s drive east is Nelson — after a 35-minute ferry trip throughout Kootenay Lake.
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A quiet, rural neighborhood used to caring for itself. And by and enormous it nonetheless does.
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However the social and financial pressures wrought by the pandemic and the aftermath that introduced hovering meals costs and sky-high rents is now affecting this village’s capability to offer enough meals for kids coming to high school hungry.
“We have now one of the crucial stunning faculties within the district. We have now an enormous playground and a forest for our youngsters to play in and we now have lots of issues going for us,” mentioned Victoria McAllister, the brand new principal of Crawford Bay faculty, a composite kindergarten-to-Grade 12 faculty with 70 college students.
“We have now some actual strengths, however our working funds for meals is de facto low. COVID has had some outsized impacts on this space and (lack of) meals is a large one.”
The varsity is attempting to feed hungry college students, however is discovering it tough.
“Our (dad and mom advisory council) runs an unbelievable sizzling lunch program with a full salad bar with 15 completely different veggies and proteins plus a sizzling entrée,” McAllister defined.
Households who can afford it pay for lunch. For individuals who can’t, the varsity will “quietly pay that price,” she mentioned.
Till this yr, the varsity was capable of present a breakfast for kids coming to high school hungry.
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However then the variety of households needing assist with lunch elevated whereas funding sources fell. To proceed serving lunch to everybody, the breakfast program was cancelled.
“We supplied a wholesome breakfast as a result of we now have some households with advanced wants the place children had been arriving right here with out breakfast. However we haven’t been capable of get that going this yr as a result of we now have so many households asking for assist to cowl lunch,” she mentioned.
The varsity’s meals coordinator, Alana Strom, mentioned households believing “it could be cheaper” have moved into the realm for the reason that pandemic.
However some are discovering it tough to get work in a area the place many roles are seasonal or pay minimal wage, Strom defined.
McAllister has been a principal in different rural faculties, however was shocked on the degree of want in Crawford Bay, which solely has one small grocery retailer.
“There have been some industries which have left the realm. With housing costs, fairly just a few households reside in trailers or transient housing,” she mentioned.
“The closest full grocery retailer is an hour’s drive away and households aren’t capable of entry wholesome meals until they’ve received transportation and may afford a two-hour drive.
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“I’ve by no means labored in a college the place households confirmed a lot resilience as households do right here, or creativity residing inside restricted means. However I’ve by no means seen fairly this degree of want.
“I used to be a principal in Kaslo, which is simply an hour away, however there’s a full grocery retailer there, counselling providers, a hospital, the RCMP, and all types of emergency providers that simply don’t exist right here,” she mentioned.
The varsity wants $10,000 from The Vancouver Solar Youngsters’s Fund Undertake-A-Faculty marketing campaign so it could actually reinstate breakfast, maintain its lunch program going, and supply an emergency fund for households in want.
Having the varsity present breakfast and lunch for kids whose dad and mom are battling the excessive value of meals is essential, she mentioned.
“Getting meals at college means households can save for dinners. Our youngsters are fairly wholesome, however households are leaning on us for ways in which assist them with dinners and (meals) on the weekend.”
HOW TO DONATE
1. ONLINE: Donate on-line with a bank card at www.vansunkidsfund.ca
2. PHONE: Name 604-813-8673 to donate by bank card.
3. MAIL: Full the donation type right here and mail it with cost to: Vancouver Solar Youngsters’s Fund, Suite 1100-1200 West 73rd Ave., Vancouver, B.C., V6P 6G5. (Please make your cheque / cash order payable to Vancouver Solar Youngsters’s Fund Society.)
Contact: Michelle Roebuck, Fund Administrator at adoptaschool@vansunkidsfund.ca or name 604-813-8673
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