Help Tim raise money

After a decade of participating in the Bluenose and reading my little stories you should all know enough about me that I cannot run because I broke my knees as a kid. But that is no excuse for me to not do my part, so I enter the Lifemark 5 km walk because I feel it is important - and not just to me but to those whom I carry on my shoulders too.

Let me explain - I read something earlier this year that impacted me and I want to share this story with you. It is from an Ontario school principal named Jay Poitras who’s school is supported by the charity’s Power Full Kids™ program. These are his words:

One morning, one of my grade 3 students came over as I supervised the kids filling their plates with breakfast. Thomas (name changed), a quiet kid, small for his age but very strong-willed, asked me what foods a baby could eat. I thought it was a curious question, but we went through the foods that would be ok for a baby to have.  

Then one day I noticed Thomas trying to pour a fruit smoothie into a small zip lock bag. I wondered if he was taking it home for later and didn’t want it to spill in his backpack, so I asked him if he wanted some help. The help he needed went beyond a better way to carry a fruit smoothie. As a teacher you don’t always know what your students are dealing with, but I didn’t expect that eight-year-old Thomas was making sure his 6-month-old sister had food each day. 

Thomas didn’t want his friends to see, so I started to help him discreetly. Once he knew he was in a supportive space, he began to ask for vegetables for his autistic brother who liked the sensation of chewing crispy, crunchy foods. Together we would put food in the fridge that he could take home at the end of the day for his brother and sister.  

Both of Thomas’ parents work full-time—his mother holding multiple jobs trying to make ends meet. But unfortunately, this story is a lot like other families who battle with food insecurity - it is a reminder that our communities should look out for each other.  

So please, let’s help each other. Remember that every penny goes to the kids. Donate and help them. I can carry you too.

Tim