Hunger in Moose Jaw received funding from the Moffat Family Fund in 2020 for their Child Nutrition Milk Program, which delivers lunches daily to children in 18 schools in Moose Jaw.
When schools closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19, Hunger In Moose Jaw adapted their program within two weeks to continue to get nutritional food into the hands of children who need it.
“We moved to a lunch bag program where we prepared a week worth of lunch supplies for the children which included a block of cheese and a jug of milk. We were able to contactless deliver directly to families until the end of June. We even continued to provide the program for 125 children during the summer months… We supported children in a whole new way that we couldn’t even dream is possible, but we made it work,” says Sharla Sept, Executive Director of Hunger in Moose Jaw.
Despite the challenges that came with adapting the program, Hunger in Moose Jaw has seen some positive outcomes because of the changes.
“We’ve been able to have more contact with the families. When we deliver lunches into schools, we don’t actually see those families. With the direct deliveries, we got to see families, get their feedback, and hear how grateful they were for the program. We’re also serving new families who have faced challenges or job loss since the beginning of the pandemic,” says Sept.
Sharla also wants to send a message of appreciation to the Moffat Family Fund, saying “We can’t do this program and provide these meals to children without this funding. It would be impossible. It is a HUGE thanks to them for supporting this program.”