Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

The Breakfast Club at Chateauguay Valley Regional High School (CVR) regularly serves 140 students a day, and that number is expected to climb by next year.

Faced with the increasing demand, the group of students in the Work Oriented Training Program (WOTP) who manage the club realized that another fridge was necessary. Lorelei Muller, the school’s community development agent, reached out to the Breakfast Club of Canada (BCC), which agreed to provide a new fridge and to cover a significant portion of the associated costs.

Serendipitously, the Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi Huntingdon reached out to the Ormstown-based high school soon after to offer support for the Breakfast Club. The organization agreed to donate $500, while Huntingdon MNA Carole Mallette chipped in an additional $500 to cover the remaining cost.

The new fridge was unveiled on April 28. Principal Lynn Harkness thanked all those involved in the initiative as well as the students who work to ensure the school community starts each day with a healthy breakfast.

Amanda Imbriglio, a program coordinator for BCC, was pleased to help. “We support schools with food deliveries or with financial support,” she explained, noting that her organization works with the Complices Alimentaires to provide breakfast foods at CVR.

“It’s full service,” Imbriglio added, noting that BCC not only provides food and equipment, but aprons and other sanitary and hygiene items along with all the necessary permits and training.

Volunteer WOTP students have been involved with the breakfast program for around 10 years. Student William Bryson said the new fridge will make things easier as the current fridges are often overfilled.

“There will be less stress,” added student Christopher Paulin, who enjoys being part of the program. “It is a good thing CVR is doing,” he added.