There has been a tremendous response from the public following recent stories in the Press about Bermuda's less fortunate children going to school without breakfast and lunch.

A Canadian expatriate and mother of two contacted The Royal Gazette offering to raise money for the Coalition for the Protection of Children's Breakfast for Every Child Programme.

Canadian, Sandy Ward is challenging local businesses to pledge $2,000 or more a year for five years towards the programme.

Her efforts have been welcomed by the Coalition, led by Sheelagh Cooper who this week said the original programme was altered about a year ago due to lack of funding.

Previously the Coalition joined various churches and organisations across the Island in supplying breakfasts to schools, but then the programme had to be altered and today individual families receive food vouchers instead.

But, says Mrs. Cooper, they can only afford to do this on a limited basis.

Besides the Coalition, churches and various organisations, teachers and counsellors have also jumped in to lend a helping hand to children.

This was made public in October by a former teacher, Mike Charles who went on the radio to say that public school teachers and school counsellors had taken it upon themselves to feed and clothe some of their pupils. Some teachers even distributed spare school uniforms to less well-off children.

This in turn led to the Minister of Education launching an investigation.

Addressing the House of Assembly last week, Minister Terry Lister said he investigated the issue and found that these children did exist.

"There are indeed some children who come to school without breakfast or lunch and there are a variety of reasons for this," he told the House.

"However, the number of students who are in need varies from time to time. It appears that January through March is a time when the number of students who need support may change."

Mrs. Cooper said the response since has led to a multi-community effort, but the Coalition is the only one dealing with families and children in "desperate need".

She said Governments' acknowledgement of the problem was one step forward, but Government did not address the issue and what needed to be done.

"In the meantime the Coalition has to provide for these children," she said, adding that $50 could provide a child with breakfast for a month.

In the past two years the Coalition has provided families with bulk non-perishable breakfast foods and in more recent months with food vouchers for breakfast and lunch food.

"If a child arrives at school without breakfast, chances are they don't have money for lunch," she said.

The Coalition aims at providing this service to all needy children in Bermuda within the next year and with the help of people like Mrs. Ward, they are one step closer to achieving this goal.

Mrs. Cooper said the Coalition had been approached by various groups who wanted to help children over Christmas time.

The challenge, she said, was convincing organisations and companies to help beyond that period.

Eventually, she said, they hope to have a better solution to the problem.

"I don't believe in a hand-out, but I definitely don't believe in kids going to school hungry either. I will not see a child go hungry in this country," she said.