Charlene Miller agrees that peanut butter is a versatile spread.
“You can use it with celery, I heard,” the Ward 1 councillor said, standing on the parking lot of the West Flat’s new Giant Tiger. “It’s a good source of protein for the kids.”
It was Monday afternoon, and Miller had brought along some friends from the Canadian Union of Public Employees to pick up 120 jars of peanut butter. The union donated $500 to buy two boxfuls at cost, with all of it due for the Prince Albert Food Bank.
For CUPE Prince Albert’s vice president, Ashlea Tyacke, the donation fits perfectly with the group’s mission.
“We deal with health care,” she said. “It’s important to us to help families out with what they need for nutrition. This was a good way to give back.”
It’s the second year Miller and CUPE have worked together on the project, and Tyacke said she plans to carry it forward into the future.
Those jars won’t last long. The food bank’s operations manager, Kerry Ramsdell, said they’ll be gone in two or three days.
“We can put it in the family hampers,” she said. “It’ll feed 120 families, just to help them out for breakfast or if the kids want to use it for lunch.”
She said the peanut butter will be a “great addition,” especially for kids.
“When they get jam, or honey or peanut butter in their hamper, kids are pretty happy.”
Miller said she’s just glad local children won’t be going to school hungry.
“The kids are going back to school,” she said. “It’s very important for them… to have a full belly.”
