As part of an effort to highlight the problem of food insecurity in the province, students in several ASD-W schools studied the subject, then took part in a poster contest last month to answer the question, What does food security mean to you?
As a reward for winning the poster contest, Devon Middle School Grade 7 student Wara Sebastian and 11 of her classmates got to visit and help out at Fredericton’s Greener Village community kitchen on April 17.
“This is a project to increase awareness and understanding of what food security is and to help decrease some of the stigma that can be associated with food insecurity,” said Shauna Miller, a registered public health dietitian with Horizon Health Network. Miller is a member of Horizon’s Health Promotion Population Health (HPPH) Team, which created the food insecurity curriculum for use in schools.
Justice & Public Safety’s Regional Resiliency Team funded the poster contest, which was focused on schools within the Fredericton and Oromocto educational centres. A food insecurity education initiative targeting schools in the Woodstock Education Centre will happen next school year, Miller said.
What does food security mean to you?
“The students and the teachers put a lot of effort into this,” said Miller. “We probably had around 50 entries; a lot from Stanley, a lot from George Street, and a lot from Devon. The winning entry was from Devon Middle School.”
The HPPH Team shared their food-insecurity information with teachers, who created lessons on the subject in the run-up to the poster-contest judging.
“We had discussions on the prevalence of food insecurity around Canada and the importance of doing what we can to help those struggling with knowing where their next meal is coming from,” said Devon Middle School Grade 7 teacher Gabriela Sant’Anna. “Students brainstormed some ways in which we can support food security and how it is nothing to be ashamed about if you’re in that situation.”
You can help
One of the ways the curriculum and poster contest helped support food security was by actively encouraging students to volunteer feeding people.
During their visit to Greener Village, students spent two hours with Head Chef Yves Dechaine preparing and distributing meals.
“We made some corn chowder that we were able to then share with each other and hand out to clients of the Greener Village,” Dechaine said. “I wanted to show them that even the smallest act has big waves or ripples. After spending an hour and a half with me in the kitchen, we were able to help feed 70-plus people.”
“Small acts can mean big things for other people”
Greener Village chef Yves Dechaine
Greener Village serves about 125,000 meals a month to more than 2,100 client families in the Fredericton area.
While students enjoyed doing something worthwhile with friends away from the classroom, Dechaine said, their lessons on food insecurity were top of mind while at Greener Village.
“I was surprised with the amount of people struggling with food insecurity,” Sebastian said. “I’d never been to Greener Village before so just learning that there is a place you can go to get support if you need it, was really satisfactory to me. And I liked helping people.”
Before the Greener Village visit, Sebastian’s Grade 7 classmate Sierra Bourgoin had been unaware of just how she could help alleviate food insecurity: “I never knew the many ways you’re able to help promote food security without even realizing it,” said Bourgoin. “My favorite part was that we were able to make a lot of food and actually help people.”
Said Sant’Anna of her student volunteers: “I hope they are inspired to help as much as they can around their community. Even at 12 years old there are lots of things they can do to promote food security.”
“Small acts can mean big things for other people,” said Dechaine.
