The funds were transferred with the stipulation that the amount should not be disclosed. But it was a substantial gift.
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It was the most successful culinary program ever offered in the Vancouver school system – a traveling kitchen of chefs who camped out at an elementary school and taught families how to cook and what to eat.
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“I wanted to empower children and parents with the knowledge and skills to make healthy food choices – empower them to create good food for themselves,” says Barb Finley, Founder and Executive Director of The CHEF Project.
They could be in school for a week teaching the younger ones, but there was a residency program for an entire school that could last two to three months.
A former elementary school teacher who taught at Vancouver, Langley and UBC before leaving to become a training chef, Finley combined her talents to launch the CHEF project in the fall of 2007.
She taught 17,500 school children and approximately 8,000 parents the joys of preparing and eating healthy meals, garnering community awards along the way, including induction into the British Columbia Restaurant Hall of Fame and receiving the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal.
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Then the pandemic arrived.
“I remember our last day of programming was March 13, 2020 just before spring break. We were supposed to start our spring break camp and then we were going to (General) Wolfe Elementary School to do a residential program after that. But then everything stopped. »
For Project CHEF to work, schools need to be open so she can bring in small teams and bring parents and community volunteers into classrooms.
“We cooked and ate together. We were an experiential program and you cannot experience food education without getting your hands wet or dirty. We couldn’t do that with COVID.
Shut out of schools, she transferred what she could of the program online, uploading over 100 recipes, 40 learning activities and 11 videos to the Project CHEF website.
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But in July 2020 it temporarily suspended operations when it was clear there was no likelihood of being allowed to return to schools in September.
This year, it closed everything permanently.
“Education is quite different for the foreseeable future, so I decided to shut it down. It was time to hang up the apron.
It was then that she wondered what to do with the funds she had received for programs that would never be offered again.
“I wanted to find a program that was in line with our mission and the vision of our donors and passed on our heritage.
“I chose Adopt-A-School because I have been following the stories (in The Vancouver Sun) closely and I know this program really cares about the food security of children because there is such a great need there. -low.”
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She also chose Adopt-A-School because they don’t charge administration fees on donations – all the money raised goes to feed, clothe and care for poor children.
“For me, it was important. I ran the CHEF project on a penny. There are many organizations that can do good, but they spend a lot of money to do it.
“I’ve read a number of applications to Adopt-A-School for help and I can’t believe some of them – the need is so great and seems to be getting worse.
“So I was happy to pass on our pool of resources to your program.”
The funds were transferred with the stipulation that the amount should not be disclosed. But it was a substantial gift.
Adopt-A-School was established in 2011 to feed, clothe and help needy children who arrive at school hungry or with inadequate clothing.
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Since the initiative began, more than $8 million has been sent to schools in all regions of the province that have requested assistance.
However, this year has brought an avalanche of requests from hundreds of schools – almost twice as many as previous years.
“We will do our best to help these schools, so we once again ask our readers to help us do so,” said Harold Munro, editor of the Vancouver Sun and Province and chairman of the board. of the Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund which administers Adopt-A-School.
Schools are asking for more than $1.8 million to help them fight child poverty.
gbellett@gmail.com
How to make a donation
1 ONLINE: Donate online with a credit card at vansunkidsfund.ca/donateor complete and submit the donation form found in the newspaper.
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2. PHONE: To donate by credit card, call 604-605-2264.
3. MAIL: Complete the donation form here and mail it to the address on the form with completed credit card details or a check/money order payable to Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund Society.
Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund Society
The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund welcomes donations from readers year-round to enable us to help hungry children. Donations are tax deductible and 100 percent of donations received go to grant projects to help needy children in British Columbia.
Contact: Michelle Roebuck, Fund Administrator, at adoptaschool@vansunkidsfund.caor call 604-605-2264.
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