Delta firefighters continue to fill hungry tummies of children in need here in Delta.
On Thursday (June 6), the Optimist was invited by the Delta Firefighters’ Charitable Society to fire hall number three in North Delta for the final healthy snack food prep and drop-off day for the school year.
Firefighters, volunteering their time off shift, were busy packing up boxes of granola bars, fresh fruit and veggies, peperoni sticks, boxes of crackers, juice boxes – even bread for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches – all to be delivered that day to 30 elementary schools across North and South Delta.
The firefighters picked up all the groceries, which were organized and ready for pick-up that morning at Costco.
Firefighter Warren Balzer said the healthy snack program and the need for the program continues to grow.
“The last few years we have been able to add in a lot more – like fresh produce, yogurt and cheese,” he said. “Mr. Noodles is also very popular for a lunch-type item. The school district has recently just purchased fridges and freezers for all the schools, so that is a real positive thing for us.”
Last month, the Charitable Society, alongside several corporate sponsors and the City of Delta, hosted its fundraising Mayor’s Charitable Ball at the Cascades Delta Casino raising more than $600,000.
“That funding will go right back to this program. We have now secured some funding for this program for the next couple of years, which is great. Our aim is to achieve self-sustainability,” he said. “Now we do not have to focus on where money from next year is going to come. We can focus on making this program better, how we can continue to deliver it to the schools.
“One of the benefits of that whole event was to raise awareness of food insecurity in Delta. I don’t think as many people know of the level of food insecurity in Delta, so that event was really a good eye-opener for a lot of people. A lot of us have kids and when we go into our own schools, we see kids show up without, so being able to give back and knowing that kids can actually go to school and not have to worry about food, really resonates with all of us. We take a lot of pride in being able to help.”
To learn more about the program or any of the other charitable initiatives of the Delta Firefighters see: https://www.deltafirefighters.com/.
