Learning Foundation has distributed $35,000 so far this year to needy students - average is $715 a day.

By Pepper Parr

November 23, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

That Indian summer that stretched into November was nice – but it’s snow tires and winter coats for the next while.

What if you don’t have a winter coat? And there are people who don’t have winter coats.

This is seen at the public school level – classroom teachers notice that a student is wearing running shoes when solid winter boots are needed.

These needs are spotted at the school level – thank goodness for that. The Halton Learning Foundation (HLF) is in place to provide the funds needed to pay for some of the essentials so that a student can concentrate on their studies or enjoy a full academic life and not always be on the margins.

Head office for the Halton Learning Foundation – nothing fancy here – pretty bare bones; a portable in the Board of Education parking lot. . But as an organization – it works

The HLF distributes an average of $715 a day to students in need. So far this year they have distributed $35,000 in cash reimbursement and gift cards.

The requests for funding comes to the HLF from teachers throughout the Region – they report that the distribution is pretty even throughout Halton.

A donation of 400 winter coats from Mountain Merchandise will arrive soon – the HLF expects to have them on hand early in December.

The need at the student level is seen by the classroom teacher who sees the student every day. They notice when running shoes are being worn when the snow is deep. They see the student who doesn’t have a coat when they open the locker in the hallway.

Some teachers see more of a student than their parents do – which is no reflection on the parents. Teachers are the front line – and while they aren’t social workers they know that a students who hasn’t been properly fed is a student that is very hard to teach.

The HLF is putting together the final pieces of an innovative program that lets people get a seasonal gift for that person who has almost everything and it tough to buy for – we are going to tell you more about that in the days ahead.

The HLF will tell you that 10% of Halton District School Board students live at or below the poverty line. These are the students who can access emergency funding or student subsidies to help them stay in school and focused on learning.