MISSISSAUGA, April 30 – MPP Deepak Anand hosted an informal reception at his community office on Thursday, Apr 25 for his Fueling Healthy Minds initiative, which connects corporate donors in the riding to schools with breakfast programs in need of financial support.
Statistics show that 1 in 5 Canadian children are at risk of starting school on an empty stomach; but in the riding of Mississauga-Malton, where we contribute 24% to the economy of Mississauga and which is home to 17 Fortune 500 companies, this statistic is worse as often it is 2 in 5 or even 3 in 5 children. “Learning that students are attending school without breakfast in such an economically vibrant riding was very disheartening for me and my staff. These are statistics that I would like to change with every one’s help,” said MPP Anand.
Principals and vice-principals from Ascension of Our Lord Catholic Secondary School and Marvin Heights Public School, the two schools that received donations, CEO of MHI Canada Aerospace Mike McCarthy and manager of TD Bank at Westwood Mall Inder Palial, the two corporate donors, were in attendance. Also present were Brian Hobbs from the Peel Learning Foundation, Peel District School Board Trustee Susan Benjamin and Andy Seto from YMCA of Greater Toronto, who helped MPP Anand’s team connect with the schools.
“Being a part of the Malton Community, we value our families and community partners. Having the support of MPP Anand and his team will allow us to make it possible for our students to get the best start to their day. Working together on this initiative has been a pleasure because of MPP Anand’s focus towards putting students first,” Balneet Singh, Marvin Heights PS principal said.
The Fueling Healthy Minds initiative bridges the gap between schools and companies in Mississauga-Malton and allows companies to support student nutrition programs by adopting a school, a class, or a student to ensure that no child starts the school day hungry. Breakfast programs encourage welcoming environments that promote friendships and safe school communities. These programs are important as they help reduce at-risk behavior and absenteeism, and improve the ability to problem solve. Contribution from these companies promotes a much-needed positive change in our community. “I feel I’m able to walk the talk by launching this initiative,” MPP Anand said.
“After hearing from Deepak, the decision for our company to contribute to this program came easy. I am a Malton boy, born and raised. Today, I am running a company of 900 employees right here in Malton. Being homeless and hungry is no fault of our youth. If we all did our part, there wouldn’t be a homeless problem and kids wouldn’t be going hungry in Canada,” Mike McCarthy of MHI said.
Principal Kylie Richardson of Ascension of Our Lord CSS remarked, “With the support of community leaders like MPP Anand and our wonderful corporate donors, we can improve the lives of children and improve the overall health and well-being of families in our community.”
The community office of MPP Deepak Anand is located at 7895 Tranmere Dr., Unit 20. Public hours are Monday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm Staff is always there to welcome and listen to anyone with concerns, ideas or a wish to volunteer and give back to the community.
Deepak Anand is the MPP for Mississauga-Malton. He can be reached at deepak.anandco@pc.ola.org or 905-696-0367.