First Ontario Credit Union Give $250 000 for School Nutrition

Wednesday, 15 April 2015 07:11

Oxford County Schools are getting a boost in nutrition thanks to First Ontario Credit Union.

OXFORD - Oxford County Schools are getting a boost in nutrition thanks to First Ontario Credit Union.

For the second year in a row, First Ontario Credit Union has announced that it will donate $250 000 towards nutrition programs in Ontario schools. Coordinator of Corporate Social Responsibility with First Ontario Credit Union Christine Susa says "We have a partnership with Haldimand-Norfolk Reach which is the lead partner to help disseminate those funds to all the various partnerships in various regions that First Ontario operates in, so Hamilton, Halton, Niagara, Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk, and Oxford County."

Susa says First Ontario was spurred into action by the example placed forth by it's corporate volunteers. "Our Blue Wave volunteers have supported programs for the last few years as far as going into schools and helping to prepare food and serve food to students, so as an organization we realized this was something we wanted to support on a bigger scale because community and supporting youth and children is such a big part of what First Ontario and what credit unions are all about."

Susa believes there are more than 170 Blue Wave volunteers from the credit union.

Kelly Ferguson, a Registered Dietician and School Nutrition Partnership Coordinator for Oxford County Public Health, says the importance of these nutrition programs cannot be overstated. "We know that kids who are well nourished are more ready to learn, and they better in school. And also it's a great opportunity to role model healthy choices to the kids in our community. It can allow them to get exposed to different fruits or vegetables and get a chance to try them."

Ferguson also says both the money, and the volunteer hours put forth by First Ontario is a big help - without which the program might not be possible. The programs are completely run by community volunteers, from buying to food, to preparing the meals, and getting the snacks out to the children who need it.

The program delivers nutritious food to over 10,000 students in 37 schools across Oxford County