Local lunch program under the By SARAH GLEN The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 13, 2000 - A3 gun _A LOCAL program that provides free lunches to school-aged children is finding it increas- ingly difficult ta make ends meet. The school lunch program at Clarence Mi- chiel Elementary and E.T, Kenney Primary Schools faced a deficit of $2,500 last year — a figure-that is expected to rise as the need for the lunch programs grows, said Bruce Mat- thews, assistant secretary treasurer with the school board, who also administers the pro- grams. “There definitely is an increase in usage but no additional funding — it’s tight,” said Matthews. ~- Matthews-applies for the $101,206 grant each year from the Ministry of Children and Families. And while the program has been running for about nine years, the amount of children using the program has grown tremendously. “I would hate to sce a child go hungry be- cause there isn’t enough funding to feed all the needy students,” said Bill Gook, principal of Clarence Michiel Elementary School. Gook says the program was started after teachers noticed that kids from both schools were “running down to the soup kitchen to get lune.” Now, he says the kids that are in the pro- _ gram. stay on school grounds, get nutritious lunches and are more attentive in their after- noon classes because they are learning with a full stomach. “The program is a success that’s for sure,” Gook said. LUNCHTIME AT CLARENCE MICHIEL: School secretary Natalie Stewart prepares the bins used to deliver lunches to all 12 classrooms at noon. Parents pay $45.30 per month or what they can afford. The lunches are prepared at Northwesi Community Col- lege. Here's a sample menu: roast beef and Swiss cheese on whole wheat, 250 ml of milk, apple, and celery sticks. Or peanut butter and jam on white with milk box, honey- dew melon, and banana muffin baked fresh. News In Brief Youth to be tried as adult A TEENAGE girl accused of stabbing a woman jast month in Terrace will be raised to adult court to face a charge of attempted murder, The 16-year-old youth was in Terrace provin- cial court on Sept. 5. Last month, a 21-year old woman was stabbed, sustaining a back injury in what RCMP said was a relationship dispute -at a Lazelle and Sparks residence. The girl is also facing charges of aggravated as- Sault stemming from the same incident. a interfor targeted GREENPEACE protesters bricfly disrupted the operations of Interfor’s New Westminster sawmill Sept. 5. They unfurled a protest banner as commuters drove to work that morning before four protesters were arrested and charged with mischief. Interfor, which employs Terrace-based loggers through Bear Creek Contracting Lid., is a target of groups secking to reduce logging in the area of the coast they call the “Great Bear Rainforest.” Premier in Prince Rupert PREMIER Ujjal Dosanjh took a guarded and neu- tral stance last week on whether to lift the mora- torium on offshore oil and gas exploration. The premier, visiting Prince Rupert to break ground fer a new $9. million college campus, was More cautious on the topic than North Coast MLA ‘He believes that there are probably 90-100 Dan Miller, reported the Prince Rupert Daily News. students using the program at Clarence Mi- chiel and about as many using the program at E.T. Kenney. But. if the number of children in the program keeps rising and the grant money stays the same, Matthews says ill be harder to admin- ister the program, “The district had to make up the shortfall last. year and I don’t know what will happen this year,” he said. Currently, parents of children using the pro- pram are asked monthly to donate what they ‘can, but a lot of parents just can’t afford it. “Both of these schools are surrounded by - low-income families and a transient population ~ it’s hard for families in those environments to make ends meet,” Gook said. To help with the shortfall, Gook said he would like to see more community involve- ment. “A program like this benefits everyone,” he said. “It helps the kids, the parents, the schocl and in the long-run the community.” First Matthews will begin the yearly search for a local vendor to make the lunches. Northwest Community College (NWCC) had the contract last year, but it expires in Oc- tober. Interested vendors are asked to attend a mecvting in late September to see if they meet the program requirements. “We don’t just want someone making these lunches out of the kitchen in their house — they’ve got to have the food safe program among other things,” said Matthews. The vendors have to submit a menu plan, which has to be approved by a nutritionist. “A vendor may have the lowest bid, but if they have all processed foods we don’t want it,” said Matthews. A new vendor won't be awarded the con- tract until November. In the meantime, NWCC will continue making the lunches starting September 11. PNG, Methanex near deal on gas rates FREQUENT TALKS were being held last week and into this week in. an effort to hammer out an agreement on natural gas pricing between Methanex and Pacific Northern Gas. Job Protection Commissioner Eric van Soeren said the two sides are much closer to an agreement On the:delivery charges for the gas. PNG ‘would’charge Methanex. Methanex had said it would permanently close its Kitimat me- deep cuts. “| think we’re getting much closer,” van Soeren said Friday. A break on gas delivery costs for Methanex will likely translate into higher costs — over and above the increases in natural gas prices at the wellhead — to other gas customers in the northwest. i». But.that’s.the lesser of twa ~“eyils| “van Soeren said, noting that a permanent closure of Methanex - which consumes more than half dramatically driven up costs to other users. “I think there will be further in- creases but they won’t be as bad as they would be in the alterna- tive with Methanex not being around at all.” A deal between the two com- panies would stil], require approval by the B.C. Utillv@4@ammission. Also, it’s eXpeotedrbtherspar- ties will also sign on to ar econd- mic plan and agree to concessions Van Soeren said they’re likely to include the District of Kitimat, the provincial government, and B.C. Hydro. Meanwhile, B.C. Utilities ‘Commission officials said PNG hadn’t as of Friday applied to in- crease natural gas rates for other customers. .. That was expected. to.be filed byinow, td také effect Oct. 1. “They're just a little bit de- ’ layed in getting that in,” said the Dosanjh said he wouldn’t give his personal views on the subject to avoid prejudicing the work of northern development commissioner John Back- house, who he repeatedly referred to as “independent.” He also told Rupertites the province is prepared to finance a portion of a $117.5 million series of bridges ta the airport on Digby Island and Metlakla and Port Simpson ~ provided Ottawa puts up its share of the money first. Bridge gridiock TRAFFIC IN Terrace came to a grinding halt for close to aa hour Sept. 1 when a suicidal male threatened to jump off the Hwy. 16 bridge connect- ing Ferry Island and Terrace. According to Terrace RCMP, the man was upset over an incident al the Great Canadian Wholesale Club and headed towards the bridge. Police quickly blocked off traffic on Hwy. 16, re- sulting in traffic gridlock that evening, “We had six police vehicles there,” said RCMP Staff-Sgt. Tom Forster. “We were able lo pull the puy off and take him into custody.” Meanwhile, ambulance crews were kept busy and traffic at a halt when a 12-year-old boy suf- fered a serious head injury after losing the front wheel of his bike at'the Hwy.16-and-37 junction: ” According to’ police, the boy wasn’t wearing a helmet and stapped breathing for a short while, be- fore being taken to Mills Memorial Hospital. thanol plant unless PNG agreed to the gas PNG sells ~ would have Pendragon Computers Ine. 103-4716 Lazelle Ave., Terrace, B.C. Ph: (250) 635-3362 Fax: (250} 385-6383 E-mail: merlin@kermode.net Web: www. pendragoncomputers.com Pendragon Comp utfers Gre. Terrace & District Credit Union Team up again ta bring you great systems and loans at Prime Rate (oac). 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