By Erin Stewart
BELLEVILLE – Mayor Neil Ellis [1] presented the money raised from Belleville’s holiday-season Feed the Meter [2] campaign Tuesday morning at City Hall.
A cheque for $9,855.45 was given to the Hastings and Prince Edward Learning Foundation, a group that raises money for projects for student success.
Over the Christmas season, people donated to the foundation’s Food for Learning program [3] by dropping donations in parking meters in Belleville, Trenton, Picton, Bancroft and Stirling. Regular parking fees were suspended during that period.
Maribeth deSnoo, executive director of the Hastings and Prince Edward Learning Foundation, says there was a significant increase in the funds raised this year.
“The great thing about it is it’s up to the people in the communities. If they want to put money in the meters they can; if they don’t, parking is still free. But those that made a contribution, we greatly appreciate it.”
More than $28,600 was raised throughout the communities to help purchase food for local student-nutrition programs.
“The programs are incredibly well-used in our schools, when you take a look at the numbers and the number of students that we are feeding,”deSnoo said. “Children are coming for a variety of reasons. It could be the early school bus. But we know that we have students, in particular at certain times of the year, the end of the month, that are going withoutfood. So the programs are incredibly important to them.”
The proceeds of the Feed the Meter campaign will be going to all local schools that have a nutrition program through Food for Learning.
Related:
Feed the meter campaign helps feed children [5]