IMPORTANT NEWS FOR OUR FRIENDS & SUPPORTERS On July 1, 2024 the Rotary-inspired Food4Kids Guelph weekend food bag program will change its name to KEEP KIDS FED AT HOME. Under its new name, our exact same program will continue supporting over 500 severely food insecure children in our community with weekend food bags to take home from school on Fridays, and with grocery gift cards for their families during school holidays. Why the name change? It’s for a wonderful reason. Food4Kids Guelph is merging with the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington to bring two complementary food programs under one roof, making them stronger together and streamlining operations. For over fifteen years, the Children’s Foundation has coordinated the local “Food & Friends” programs providing kids with breakfast, snack and lunch at school, whereas “Food4Kids Guelph” was formed six years ago to close the weekend and holiday food gap at home for the highest-need kids. The startup of Food4Kids Guelph was thanks to the joint efforts and seed-funding from the four Rotary Clubs of Guelph, and many Rotarians still volunteer in this program. By coming together under one umbrella, these two existing programs will collectively provide better food access to children, year-round. Moving forward, both programs will operate under the new shared name “KEEP KIDS FED”. - KEEP KIDS FED AT SCHOOL (the former “Food & Friends” program of the Children’s Foundation) will continue supporting breakfast, snack and lunch programs on school days, while
- KEEP KIDS FED AT HOME (the former “Food4Kids Guelph” program) will continue supporting kids with food outside of school days, on school weekends and during school holidays.
The sole employee of Food4Kids Guelph, Brittany Skelton, will join the staff of the Children's Foundation and continue as the Program Manager for KEEP KIDS FED AT HOME. The ten key volunteers who help run the Food4Kids Program will continue volunteering with KEEP KIDS FED AT HOME, including the program's School Liaison, Liz Sandals, who will also join the board of the Children's Foundation in support of this transition as well as contributing her exceptional community knowledge and experience for the greater good of children and youth. Donations can still be directed specifically towards our continuing program for Bridging the Weekend & Holiday Gap: or mailing cheques to KEEP KIDS FED AT HOME, 5068 Whitelaw Road, Unit 2, Guelph ON N1H 6J3 As Rotarians, we can be very proud of making a difference in the lives of local children and families experiencing severe food insecurity. This merger of Food4Kids Guelph with the Children's Foundation is a strategic and logical step towards helping the weekend and holiday food program keep going and growing. You can also view a more detailed presentation here. |