Breakfast Bento Boxes: A Great Idea for Annieville Elementary School!

This past October, our Club coordinators visited one of our recently opened programs for the first time. Annieville Elementary School in Delta, BC — the traditional territory of the Tsawwassen and Musqueam First Nations — started its program with Breakfast Club of Canada in fall of 2020.

Fast forward to a year later, and the program is now a well-oiled machine, involving school staff and local businesses to offer some morning cheer every school day.

Each morning, youth worker Sara Glennon and education assistant Christine Mitzel pack individual breakfasts in reusable bento boxes, purchased last year with the Club’s equipment grant. Breakfasts are planned out in advance each week by Sara, who orders groceries online and picks them up every Monday.

The program makes sure no students are left out, including those requiring a gluten- or gelatin-free meal. Food is prepared in a separate area and served in different coloured boxes and serving trays to ensure there is no cross-contamination. Currently, breakfasts are delivered to classrooms, with teachers communicating the number of meals needed to make planning a breeze and ensure there is minimal waste.

Collaboration is essential, according to principal Jann Kwasnicki, whose goal is to see this program run independently, regardless of who may be leading the school administration in the future. Once it is safe to do so, the team plans to use the multi-purpose room attached to the kitchen as the breakfast room, where they are hoping to make the atmosphere homelike and comfortable for students to enjoy a warm meal together, socialize and start their day off right.

This school year, Annieville Elementary has enlisted the support of the local Walmart, which has generously donated coolers to keep food cold before serving and has raised funds for the school. The Rotary Club of Tsawwassen also supports Annieville Elementary with their Starfish Backpack program, and local firefighters chip in with monthly snack food donations.

Thanks to the collective efforts of school staff and the local community, the students of Annieville Elementary can enjoy a nutritious and delicious breakfast each day.