Breakfast bag giveaway benefits Selma elementary school students

From the West Alabama Newsroom–

A Selma non-profit teams up with one of the biggest employers in Dallas County — to make sure hundreds of area school kids — have a nutritious breakfast over the weekend.

The Edmundite Missions and International Paper Riverdale Mill — hand out well over a thousand weekend breakfast bags to children at three Selma elementary schools each week.

It’s a program that aims to make sure kids don’t miss out on the most important meal of the day — when they’re not at school.

“We started the program after having conversations with some of the teachers, when they cited that the kids were coming in on Monday, they hadn’t eaten,” said Edmundite Missions President & CEO Chad Mc Earchern.

“Nutrition and food insecurity in Selma is an issue that the Edmundites have identified,” said Arthur McLean with International Paper.

“And we wanted to be able to partner with them to help aid in that.”

The International Paper Foundation provides a grant to help fund the program — while the Mission prepares the breakfast bags — and distributes them to the children.

“The foundation is focused on several signature causes, one of which, is child nutrition and hunger. So, this mission fell right in line with our values and what we want to support,” said McLean.

“We believe children can’t learn if they’re hungry.”

“And the teachers have seen a marked improvement with the kids now that they’re eating more regularly over the weekend when they may not have food,” said McEarchern.

“Nutrition has been part of the DNA of the Edmundite Missions since its founding in 1937. It’s just vital to the growth, health, wellness of the entire community here.”

The mission has been handing out the weekly breakfast bags for about 5 years.

International Paper provides about $10,000 in grants each year — to help support non-profits and schools — in the areas of education — literacy — in addition to child nutrition.