Hello Everyone,

Thank you so much for coming to our second “Food for Thought” meeting held Friday,
October 2nd. Thank you to Barry for popping by and contributing.

Minutes:

Attending: Dorothy Crowe DC, Caroline Cocchio CC, Kim Townsend KT

(k.townsend@sypatico.ca), Denise Montgomery DM, Jenny Pepper JP, Mary Gillis MG
Regrets: Michelle Chin MC

Attachments given out at meeting:

- Mission statement
- program principles
- goal
- method
- existing program
- agenda

Background and what’s in place currently:

- our school is a microcosm of the Dundas demographic
- in response, DCPS had a spring clothes closet for primary grades in
April 2009, a school wide winter clothes closet in Nov 2009.
- food stocks put in place years ago have dwindled to nothing as
volunteers changed, and it went off the radar of H&S who assumed
food stocks were still fine - MG alerted H&S to this problem and now we
put back in place a Food for Thought Program which started March 2009
consisting of food stocks distributed by staff on an as needed basis
- Super Submarine in Dundas provides our school with subs and also gives us whole buns
they can not use in a day. We cut them into thirds, wrap them and place into the freezer.

Meeting:
- I would like the program to start ASAP and before November
- our hope is to have the program up and running the week of October 19th
- food to be offered to each and everyone classroom will be fruit (apples, pears, plums)
and also plain whole wheat buns and ww buns with cheese.
- JP, KT will look after the purchasing of fruit (perhaps others would like to help too).
We will need approximately 220 pieces of fruit weekly.
- we are given free sub buns from Super Subs and instead of throwing them out, we
should use them daily. Any left over, will be thrown away.
- DM, JP, and hopefully other volunteers will be coming in every Monday morning and
cutting the sub buns that are currently in our freezer into thirds and wrapping them in
cellophane. They will bring in their own knives from home, cutting boards. I can help
this first Monday since I don’t work. We will need more help.
- DM will buy cheese to start off us and cellophane

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 - MG will also get fresh buns from Super Subs on Saturdays and dropping them off to
also be cut into thirds, place cheese inside them and wrap them in cellophane.
- these buns will be placed in bins in the staff fridge ready for drop off.
- each classroom will be given a bin with a lid to house 10 pieces of fruit and keep it
there for the week. They will also be given a tray for 6 buns to be placed on them daily.
- LM who is the supervisor of Today’s Family Childcare at Knox Church has kindly
offered her services to wash the fruit and I will speak with her about washing our bins as
well?
- CC has offered to pick up the bins from our school every Friday and deliver them to
LM.
- I will speak with LM about dropping off the bins every Monday morning.
- distributing the fruit into bins will have to be done by a parent that has properly washed
their hands.
- the reason behind individually wrapping each bun is strictly for sanitary reasons.
- MG is setting up grade 8 volunteers to help distribute the fruit bins and buns to every
classroom before school begins. Grade 8 volunteers will also pick up all fruit bins and
lids every Friday after 2nd nut. break and bring to staff room where CC will then bring to
LM daycare facility to be washed.
- we have had no luck getting bins for free so we will have to purchase them, but not as
big as stated earlier. Large enough to fit 10-15 pieces of fruit and must have a snap shut
lid.
- H&S have generously offered to put the proceeds from the holiday gift baskets toward
our program (~$1000.00).
- 10% of sub orders will be used for our program as well
- bins will need to be purchased to start this project.
- MG could use some of holiday basket purchase 22-24 bins with lids, 22-24 trays for
sandwiches, 2 medium bins to hold sandwiches in the fridge, one medium bin to hold
extra fruit in the fridge.
- talk to LM about sanitizer for fruit and bins and will have to supply some for her
- more parents will be needed to help in the initial stages of this program and to help out
every Monday morning and Friday afternoon. It would also be nice to have some help
with making sure there is enough fruit in the bins and going from class to class to check.
- DM looking into a green bin for disposal of food items.

* I am looking for 2 parent volunteers to help me with sub orders. I have already
photocopied the first batch of sub forms, but will need help counting money and keeping
all orders organized into classes. At the end of January, I will also need some to copy
order forms for the entire school and count money again.

Hopeful program start date: Monday, October 19th.

*keeping in touch via email should get us started and me making some phone calls to
facilitate start.

Mary Gillis

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 Food For Thought Program
2009

Hello Everyone,

I would very much like to meet with all members of our committee and new
prospects. Our second "Food For Thought" meeting will be held on Friday,
October 2' 2009 at 9:00 a.m. in room 109 (one room down from my room). This
room is now used as a resource room. The meeting will be approximately be one
hour in length. I would love to see some new faces come as well and children
are welcome to come with you.

A quick Introduction about the program:

Mission Statement: To provide a nutritious snack and/or lunch for our students to promote
better learning, decrease hunger and maintain anonymity and respect without judgement, bias,
prejudice or stigma.

Program Principles:
1. Our school and Community have a collective responsibility
towards our children.
2. Nutrition is a fundamental key to a child’s development.
3. Good nutrition affects a child's ability to learn &
perform positively.
4. Our school environment can play a key role in supporting
healthy eating choices.

Goal: To provide a nutrition program that is accessible to all

of the students at Dundas Central Public School.

Method:
1. Maintain a supply of nutritious foods.
2. Develop volunteers to acquire and maintain the program’s supplies,
3. Develop a list of donors/suppliers for the program,
4. Develop a communications strategy to inform the school
community about the program

Existing Program: The program provides snacks to students who need them on an as needed
basis, by which the student(s) tell the teacher and/or lunch room monitor. Staff will then provide
that student with a snack found in the staffroom refrigerator.

This program structure is endorsed by the School’s administration and by the Home & School
Association. The program will be administered through a committee, which will be accountable
to the Home & School Association. The Committee Chair will assume responsibility for co-
ordinating volunteers, maintaining an inventory of supplies, and advising the School Community
through the Home & School Association of the status of the Committee’s work.

The funding for this program is provided by The Home & School Association which is providing
$1000 per year for the program from the proceeds of the December Holiday Baskets

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 Event, and actively support the program with volunteers. The program’s needs will be provided
for from funds raised through the School Food Days Program. Outside funding resources such
as corporate sponsors and grants will be researched and considered.

Extension of the Program: To extend the existing program to provide a morning snack to all
students. The program will present plans to the Home and School Council as it’s capacity to meet
increased needs becomes evident. Funding for this program will be through corporate sponsors,
small in-town business donations and/or price cuts, profits from sub and pizza days, whole wheat
sub buns donated from Super Subs.

Agenda for this Meeting:

* fruit to be offered
* Meyers Apple Orchard offering to donate?
* Metro offering better fruit pricing?
* pick up of food
* washing of fruit and/or preparation
* storage bins
* storage location
* letters to parents, staff and local businesses and community groups
* possible cart service (several carts of food placed on either floor and in each
hall wing ) ,offering more than fruit such as granola bars, packages of crackers,
etc.
* sub bun storage and profit
* help with sub days (photocopying forms for school and possibly adding up
monies for school)

Last Meeting: Was held April 14/2009

Attending: Caroline Sears CS, Dorothy Crowe DC, Leanne McArthur LM,
Cassandra Wallace CW, Patricia McCaffery PM, Mary Gillis MG, Sara
Croke SC, Jenny Pepper JP, Michelle Chin MC
Regrets: Kim Dichazi

Minutes from Previous Meeting:

-stay with the program we have now (fruit cups, fruit juice, granola bars, whole wheat buns, white
and whole wheat buns).

-for next school year, provide each class with a closed bin of apples and/or pears
-change produce weekly

-Leanne M to wash produce at the beginning of each week at daycare

-Jenny P and Cassandra to obtain bins through “Free Cycle” and through donations (approximately
22-25 bins) freecycle.org or yahoo, free cycle and input Dundas or Ancaster.
-Mary to write all classroom numbers on each bin and distribute to each teacher.
-Mary G to empty all class bins and give to Leanne at the end of the week for washing
-Sara C to write up parent letter explaining the program
– description of program
- requests for food donations (specify exactly what type and
brand of food items, ex: Five Alive or 100% fruit juice)

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 - parents can get a cash receipt for a minimum of $25.00
donated through the H & S.
-Patricia M to keep inventory of food supplies in school
-Jenny P to ask Meyers Apple Farm for price cut on apples to supply school for 1 term
-Mary G to ask Metro (old A&P) for price reduction in produce to supply school for another term.
-Crystal to ask Picone’s Market for price reduction in produce to supply school for third term.
-Jenny P to ask Fiddles Wholesale Produce Co. to see if we can get a reduction in produce as well
and incorporate them with the others.
-Leanne M to contact Palmer fruit (her distributor for the daycare) to see if they can supply a
cut in produce for us.
-Oak run Bakery in Ancaster also will give out a bag of day old bagels for $5.00 - just call ahead to
see if they have any. This is if we are looking for more grains to offer the children.

-Mary G to call Jeanne-Beth Michamk at Knox Church to inquire about their conversation with
Dave Gallagher about starting a breakfast program for our school two years ago.

I hope you can all come and share your ideas and knowledge so we can get
started! Thank you for your support.

Mary Gillis
JK/SK Teacher
Dundas Central

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