At Assumption College School in Brantford, a group of students in the community living class are more than volunteers handing out food — they are running a small, school-wide service that has become part of daily life for many pupils.
Students lead snack distribution, learn life skills
Seventeen-year-old Marco Volpe is one of 11 students who manage the program. In the busy corridor near the cafeteria he pushes a wheeled cart loaded with snacks, greets classmates and reminds them they do not need to go hungry during the school day. “We got a great team, and I’m really proud of my teammates,” Volpe said. “My favourite part of it is seeing all my friends at the school and helping them out.”
The snack initiative has operated at Assumption for about six years. For the last three years, the responsibility for ordering, organising and distributing the food has been part of the curriculum for the school’s community living class, a component of the special education program.
Simone Medeiros, the teacher who oversees the class, said the project extends learning beyond textbooks. It provides practical experience in budgeting, logistics and customer service while helping students form meaningful connections across the school community.
“It allows us to work on our life skills and contribute to the school in a meaningful way,” Medeiros said. “They know they are having a positive impact in the lives of students.”
Support from partners and a federal visit
The program is run with support from federal and provincial funding and in partnership with Brant Food For Thought, the local organization that helps supply school nutrition programs. On Friday, the class and their teacher hosted Anna Gainey, Canada’s secretary of state for children and youth, who visited to see the program in action.
Gainey described the initiative as an example of how the National School Food Program can look in a local setting. “It’s such a pleasure to be at Assumption College School to see how the National School Food Program looks like in schools and communities,” she said. Medeiros noted the students bring enthusiasm to the work and that their efforts are noticed across campus.
- Program age: operating at Assumption for roughly six years
- Community living class: has delivered the program for about three years
- Participants: 11 students and their teacher
The class handles the full cycle of the snack service: selecting items, organising stock on the cart and choosing high-traffic locations for distribution so students can access food between classes. The work is described as a confidence builder and a way for students to visibly contribute to school life.
Local impact and wider context
School-based food programs are increasingly visible in Ontario as communities respond to student food insecurity and as provincial and federal governments expand funding for nutrition initiatives in education. At Assumption, the arrangement gives students with diverse learning needs a structured, practical role that benefits the wider student body.
Students involved in the program said the social aspect is a highlight — seeing friends and helping peers — while the teacher emphasised the learning outcomes: improved organisational skills, teamwork and community engagement. The program’s partnership with Brant Food For Thought connects the school to city-wide efforts to ensure children have access to nutritious options during the school day.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Years active | About 6 years at the school |
| Operated by community living class | About 3 years |
| Students involved | 11 students |
As municipal and provincial leaders look for practical ways to improve student well-being, programs like Assumption’s offer a local template that pairs service with education. The recent visit from a federal minister brought attention to how national funding translates into daily supports for students at the neighbourhood level.
For the students who push the cart each morning, the work is simple and social, but its effects ripple through the school — providing food to classmates, building confidence for the students who run it, and demonstrating how local partnerships can sustain school-based nutrition.
