Nearly a year ago, the Blackfalds Family and Community Support Service (FCSS) started their Lunch Box program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the program has seen both huge community support as well as a growing number of families in need.

With the help of many community organizations and generous donors, Blackfalds FCSS has received $107,432 in donations and grants for the Lunch Box program since March of 2020 when the program began.

“We started back at the end of March and we thought we'd be doing it for a couple of months and COVID would be behind us, but little did we know that we'd be dealing with it a year from now.  The community and writing grants has established us to be able to carry this this wonderful program till the end of December 2021,” said Sue Bornn, Manager of Blackfalds FCSS.

Bornn says the program was born out of a need to support the students who were making use of their local school’s lunch or breakfast program.  Now, the number of families in need of support is steadily climbing. In March, the program started by feeding 30 kids but now the program feeds 167 children.

“A lot of our families we never saw before are utilizing this program because COVID has either changed their lives because they lost their job, CERB has run out, they reduced hours, or they aren't going back to a job and EI is running out. EI doesn't pay as much as their jobs used to pay, and they can't find a new job,” she explained.

Like everything else, the Blackfalds FCSS has had to make adjustments in the ways they’ve been operating the program throughout the year as well.

“It has kind of morphed to meet the needs as we rolled out with how we’ve been evolving in this pandemic. COVID is always changing the rules and so we just changed with it. If the schools are open, we changed the model of not providing hot lunches but instead a box of good wholesome foods that the families would take home and have the supplies that they needed,” explained Bornn.

Given the massive need and success of the program, even at the pandemic’s end, Bornn doubts that the program will come to a complete end. She believes the community will still have need as the economy recovers.

“We're certainly not going to give this program up if we are still seeing the need. As long as our numbers are this high, we definitely see the need and will continue it. I'm a firm believer that I’ll find the money. We have a wonderful, supportive community. There are grants out there and I'll just keep finding the money until there's no need for it anymore,” said Bornn.

Bornn and the Blackfalds FCSS have received nothing but positive feedback for the program. They are very grateful for the support of their community which has allowed them to expand and operate the program effectively.