salmo, population 1,500, is just north of the canada-u.s. border and 40 kilometres south of nelson on highway 6. it has no local bus service and bus service to nelson is available just a couple of days a week, which limits people finding jobs outside of the area, said terpstra.
“it can be quite insular but it’s a village where people know what one another’s needs are, and they will reach out.”
each day up to 50 children need breakfast — which is a large number considering the size of the school, she said.
the school’s parents advisory council sends in volunteers to prepare and serve food.
right now, she is feeding them during the day using a $4,000 grant from the school district and $1,500 from the provincial feeding futures program. but that money will run out sometime in january.
terpstra is asking for $7,000 from the vancouver sun’s adopt-a-school campaign so she can continue feeding students and provide food for families at weekends and sometimes during the week when an emergency arises, and a family finds itself without food or money.
“we are regularly putting snacks and things in children’s backpacks if we know there are siblings at home.
“our pac on tuesdays will make soup or pasta and things like that, and we will freeze it and then we’ll put a package of frozen soup in a child’s backpack to take home for the family at dinner time.”