A school meals programme for hungry students at CedarBridge Academy has received a $10,000 windfall from Belco after its struggles with funding made headlines.

“The response we’ve had has been very generous and healthy,” said school social worker Marilyn Jackson, who met yesterday with Belco management to express her gratitude for the donation.

Belco was just one of several donors who responded to an article in The Royal Gazette this week highlighting the fact that the school’s student assistance programme had fallen short on funds.

“There’s a lot of research to back up the connection between nutrition and educational performance,” added Ms Jackson, who said she’d been “brought up on breakfast”.

“I have children coming in who are irritable and I know it’s because they need something to eat. Once you feed them it’s very different. They can get back to class and focus.”

Depending on the level of demand, the programme costs $12,000 to $15,000 a year to operate — and can cater to 15 to 18 needy students.

Students used to get five vouchers a day for food. At present, students who are found to be in genuine need receive vouchers for lunch and breakfast.

Thanks to the generosity shown to the school, Ms Jackson said, CedarBridge was examining ways of improving the programme, so that students who need food five days a week will be able to get meals.

Belco’s donation has gone straight into the account for the programme, which is now “financially fit for the rest of the year”, she said — but the scheme is being expanded to cover other needs.

“I’ve also been asking for in-kind gifts like cartons of juice and breakfast snacks for students who’ve missed their morning breakfast.”

Ms Jackson, who works closely with at least 30 other social workers in different Government organisations, is adept at spotting students who are going hungry.

She also liaises with parents when students are persistently going without food.

“We vet them to make sure it’s genuine. Some don’t want to come because they are self-conscious, so you have to be a good investigator. Sometimes it’s a matter of the students not taking responsibility for packing lunch.

“You also have to be vigilant. I have had workshops with the students — you have some who give their lunches away and end up needing a lunch.

“Sometimes I find they are just taking the programme for granted, and I want them to take responsibility. As a social worker, my training involves collaboration and teamwork.”

Presenting the donation, Belco CEO Denton E. Williams said the funding was an investment into the Island’s knowledge-based economy as well as a humanitarian gesture.

“We make our decisions as a team,” Mr Williams said.

“We saw there was a pretty grave need — if people can’t focus on school and their education due to being hungry, that’s a big disadvantage. We saw this was going on and decided we wanted to help out.

“It’s a very important programme — and the research supports it.”