Twenty-one schools in Brantford, Burford and Paris were successful applicants to the Metro Green Apple School Program. This year, the school granting program is focused on getting young people to eat more fruits and vegetables, which are the foundation of a healthy diet. Encouraging their consumption without moderation contributes to lowering the risk of illness and obesity.
Congratulations to those schools who continue to be creative and improve their healthy food choices. Metro Green Apple Grants are providing an extra funding source to boost teachers, parents, students, schools staff and volunteers who are passionate about teaching school children healthy eating habits in fun and interactive ways.
The following schools were successful in receiving $1,000 for their healthy eating project:
Banbury Heights School – Manageable Meals for Middle School Students
Blessed Sacrament School – Do the Math–Add More Fruits and Veggies to your Lunch Box
Branlyn Community School – Branlyn’s Healthy Food Fair
Brier Park School – Healthy students, Healthy Minds
Burford District Elementary – Fruit and Vegetable Stand
Cobblestone Elementary – Healthy Snacks at School
Echo Place School – Nutritional Snack Program
Graham Bell-Victoria Public School – Breakfast at GBV
Grand Erie Learning Alternatives – Food Skills for Life!
Holy Cross School – Breakfast and Healthy Snacks
Holy Family School – Feeding the Bodies to Feed the Minds
Jean Vanier Catholic Elementary School – Jean Vanier Chefs in Training
Major Ballachey School – Sustainable Smoothie Booth
North Park Collegiate – The Healthy Plate Project
Pauline Johnson Collegiate – Green Us Up!
Princess Elizabeth Public School – Breakfast Buddies
St. John’s College – Fruits and Vegetables for Everyone!
St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School – Healthy Snack Program
St. Theresa School – Healthy Snack Program
St. Mary Catholic Education Centre – Healthy Eating Program
Through their Healthy Bites program, public health dietitians have teamed up with Brant Food For Thought to support student nutrition programs. They also provided assistance to the schools in submitting their project ideas to the Metro Green Apple School Grant program.
The Healthy Bites program is a comprehensive elementary school nutrition program, and is open to any elementary school with an interest in healthy eating and fostering a healthy school nutrition environment. This program awards and recognizes Brant schools displaying excellence in the following areas:
• Creating or improving healthy eating for the whole school.
• Engaging the entire school in promoting key messages about healthy eating during the school day.
• Identifying all local food and beverage vendors in the school community with healthy choices.
Health nurses from the Brant County Health Unit work to help engage the entire school in promoting key messages about healthy eating during the school day by forming a healthy eating action plan to improve the school nutrition environment. They recognize that healthy eating plays a key role in childhood growth and development, along with improving a child’s ability to learn in school.
Teachers, parents, students, school staff and volunteers can all take part in this program.
Launched in 2012, the Metro Green Apple School Program aims to encourage young Ontarians to develop healthy eating habits by participating in a project proposed by their school that will have a positive impact on their home, school or community. For the past four years, Metro has awarded $500,000 annually to successful school applicants.
The issue of health, and more specifically of obesity, is taking on a broader scope in Canada, with both adults and children. With the Metro Green Apple School Program, Metro hopes to show young people that it’s simple, enjoyable and tasty to eat well, and to encourage them to develop healthy lifestyles as soon as possible. The long term goal is that these healthy habits will stay with them as they move into adulthood.
Realigning their corporate mission towards acquiring healthy eating habits has enabled Metro to make positive contributions to the communities in which they operate. Thank you Metro Green Apple for helping our students in Brantford and Brant be well-nourished during the school day as they work toward their full potential now and for the future.