Cornwall, Ontario – The Agapè Centre is once again a recipient of the Rural Kids Grant program, an initiative of the Grocery Foundation and the Ontario Association of Food Banks to increase the amount of fresh, healthy food to children in our community.

At the Agapè Centre, we want to provide a better life for our children. With this grant, we will be able to continue our program “Kids’ Health Zone” which will increase access to nutritious foods. Our clients’ children currently have the opportunity to drop in after school where they can pick up a fruit, a vegetable and a dairy product as their afterschool snack. The program has been provided free of charge to our food bank “family” clients and will continue to do so.

Currently, at the Agapè Center, we provide families with a food basket that contains approximately the volume of 3 to 5 days of groceries, once a month. Except during the summer months where we can incorporate a few vegetables if our food garden permits, we only provide non-perishable food items except for eggs and bread. “I was so excited to receive the grant to continue with our program. We really want to provide our clients with better food choices, especially kids. This is a great start” says Alyssa, executive director of the Agapè Centre. “Children need a minimum of 5 fruits and vegetables every day. We want to help them met these goals!”.