Feeding Our Future program provides free lunches to 40,000 kids at Toronto camps

When school broke last summer,many students in Toronto who rely on a free lunchprobably wondered where that meal would come from.

EnterFeeding Our Future, aprogram launched by the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation 15years ago. It's a summer lunch program that partners with community organizations across Canada to provide free summer lunches to children in need.

125,000 meals this summer

In Toronto, the foundation has joined forces with Second Harvest to drop offnutritious lunches at 17 day camps.

"There's a million children who use lunch programs throughout the year and they're at risk during the summer months when schools are closed,"BarryTelford, the president ofSodexoCanada, told CBC News.

Feeding OurFuture has donated more than a million lunches sincetheprogram began and Telford said it hopes to provide125,000lunches to kids across the country this summer.

Debra Lawson, executive director ofSecond Harvest, says Feeding OurFuture fills a critical gap for struggling families.

"Often people don't think about who feeds the children in the summer," she told CBC. "Hunger doesn't take a vacation.

"A lot of them even show up without having breakfast so by the time this lunch comes around it might be the first meal of the day."

Lawson said that every morning, a group of volunteers gets together in a kitchenand prepares the lunches, which are then picked up and delivered to day camps by her organization.

"If children don't eat, they don't have the ability to think or learn and they certainly don't have the energy to play."

Seeds Of Hope Summer Day Camp,a seven-week program in the Jane and Finch area for childrenages six to 13, makes use of the free meals.

"It's pretty satisfying," camper Tainu Cousins said. "My mom's pretty busy and if she can't make me lunch she doesn't have to worry that I'm coming here and will be hungry I'll actuallyhave something to eat."

"It's a huge part of coming here every day."

No food, no energy

BenjaminOsei, who foundedSeeds Of Hope, told CBC his camp offersthe lunch early in the day sincemany of the campers come to the centre without having eaten breakfast.

"Without food, they get grumpy and don't have the energy to participate in the program," he said. "We make sure that nobody goes hungry here."

Lawson said the need for the program is growing.

"We have to take responsibility as a society, [so] that we're constantly nurturing the future."