Lunches for Learning program aims to provide nutritious meals and broaden horizons while keeping students full and focused

Edmonton Meals on Wheels has partnered with Edmonton Catholic Schools on a new lunch program that helps nourish young minds.

The program, called Lunches for Learning, provides “nutritious, ready-to-eat meals” delivered to students at St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Elementary School near 90 Street and 105A Avenue in Edmonton. 

According to Adam Zawadiuk, executive director of Edmonton Meals on Wheels, Lunches for Learning keeps students full and focused on their daily tasks while also giving them opportunities to expand their minds.

“It’s an opportunity for many of them to try something different,” Zawadiuk said. “(We offer) beef stir fry or the chicken stir fry, things like that. Some of the kids are newcomers to the school, and these are new things that they’re getting to try for the first time. Not only are they getting something nutritious, but they’re trying something new and broadening their horizons.”

The program currently runs four days a week, since Thursdays are early dismissal. Edmonton Meals on Wheels has made a variety of hot meals, including lasagna, multiple styles of sandwiches, beef stir-fry, and mac and cheese. Each meal also comes with a healthy snack option such as fruit slices and vegetables.

In Alberta, one in three households is experiencing food insecurity, according to data from AHS, and Zawadiuk says that means there are a lot of children in the province without access to consistent nutrition. While he acknowledges the perception of Edmonton Meals on Wheels as a service for the elderly or impoverished, he believes the organization has a lot to offer all Albertans in need, especially growing children.

“The reality is we have a commercial kitchen here that has the capacity and the ability to serve meals to anybody and everyone who needs access to that healthy, nutritious, and delicious meal,” Zawadiuk said. “So in the last year, we’ve started to really look at other groups that we can work with.”

Zawadiuk says the partnership with St. Teresa of Calcutta was 10 months in the making, giving the school board a tour of the food preparation facilities, discussing the nutritional needs of students, and other requirements to make the program work. While the program currently only serves one school, he believes Meals on Wheels has the capacity to help many more schools.

“The teachers are saying that they can feel a difference in the classroom,” Zawadiuk said. “The kids are more regulated. They’re more focused because their bellies are full and they’re ready to learn. We definitely want to continue to expand and grow and find other schools that we can work with and provide this service to.”

Bookmark our website and support our journalism:Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.