Monthly menus are set up with the help of a Kelowna nutritionist. Parents may pay all, part or none of the fee. About 150 children are fed in Cawston daily, while only 18 are included in the Hedley program. To make the program work, everyone who can pay, does. According to Dirksen, the meals make up a full one-third of the child s daily nutritional requirements.
Milk is a mainstay of each meal.
In Hedley and Cawston all food is prepared at the schools, with one staff member putting in three hours daily at Hedley and two working eight hours each day in Cawston. I can deal with other things rather than food. It used to take a lot of my time, worrying about food. In fact, Dirksen would also like to see a breakfast program at his schools. There is not even a chance of a stigma - they think they are paying a buck like everyone else.