There are 48 different languages spoken by children in the Surrey school. That’s 48 different ways to say “hungry”.
When Rachel Ladd became principal of Riverdale Elementary in Surrey two years ago, about 40 children were coming to school looking for breakfast.
Now, some days, there are 80.
“It jumped up in the spring last year, and it has just got busier and busier and busier,” she said of the overflowing breakfast program.
The school at 108A Avenue and 148th Street, which offers French immersion as well as classes in English, has 460 students. It’s home to a large number of new Canadian and refugee families, with many parents finding it hard to pay rent and feed their children.
“We have lots of families who have been evicted but are paying high rent in order to stay here,” she explained. “We have a huge number that need support with groceries or food to take home. We have a lunch program, so the leftover food is often for kids to take home so they can have another meal.
“I’d say the number of struggling families has doubled since I started two years ago.”
There are 48 different languages spoken by children in the school. That’s 48 different ways to say “hungry” and Ladd and her staff worry what that word really means for some children given the obvious signs of hunger in the morning.
Does it mean they haven’t had breakfast at home, or does it mean they haven’t eaten since they left school the day before? Were they fed much, if anything, over the weekend?
The breakfast program, which is supported by The Vancouver Sun’s Adopt-A-School campaign, often provides the answer.
“It’s an amazing program. It’s a great way for the kids to come in and connect before they start the day and we have some of our support workers in there to touch base,” said Ladd.
“It’s how we find some of our kids don’t have any food at home. We have had a few who were in tears because they were so hungry by the time they got here because they haven’t had anything to eat since they left yesterday.
“Our staff try to figure out who the needy families are and who needs some extra food to take home. But we worry we are not reaching our neediest families because of a language barrier, so we struggle to know who they are.
“It’s hard to guess and some people are too proud to accept support at times.”
The school has the help of a backpack program that provides a bag of weekend food for 21 families.
“It’s not enough. We have another 15 (families) on the waiting list. It’s tough to find ways to help them all out.”
There is also a need for winter clothing because many children don’t have coats or boots, and Ladd is waiting for donated used items to arrive from a South Surrey school that has promised to help.
Breakfast at the school is part of the school district’s Attendance Matters program, which uses food to encourage children to attend in the morning. Students from families living in poverty often skip school or arrive late.
Some 32 Surrey inner-city elementary schools are part of the program, and Adopt-A-School is being asked for $100,000 to feed an estimated 1,000 children each day.
There are the obvious signs of hunger — ravenous appetites and requests for extra food to take home. School staff also watch for a spike in disruptive behaviour, such as yelling, that appears to be resistance to a task but is often hunger, said Ladd.
“When we notice this trend, one of the first things we do is offer them something to eat.”
The previous day, Ladd came out of her office to find a six-year-old girl curled up on the floor outside.
“I got down to her level to see what was going on and she’s saying, ‘I’m not going … I can’t go.’
“So I went and got her a snack, some granola bars, and I opened one for her and (after she ate some). It’s like, ‘It’s okay, I can go now.’
“She had been there just huddled in a ball on the ground. It’s not that she doesn’t want to do something, it’s just that at that point her brain can’t think straight.”
This year, Surrey is seeking $383,000 from Adopt-A-School, with the money needed to feed, clothe and offer emergency help to children whose families are living on income assistance or low-paying jobs and unable to provide for themselves after paying rent.
No administration costs are deducted from donations with 100 per cent going to schools.
How to donate
2. PHONE: To pay by credit card, call 604-813-8673.