Courtenay Elementary has been out for quite some time, but that does not mean that the community school has been idle. In January, the community school helped Courtenay El apply for a Community Enrichment Grant from the Comox Valley Community Foundation. This money was used to purchase a commercial dishwasher and mobile kitchen island.
The addition of the commercial dishwasher helps increase sanitation while reducing cleaning times. The kitchen island was custom-built to provide better prep space for the school’s food programs.
Once it became clear that schools would be closed for the rest of the academic year, the CVCF issued an emergency round of grants. The community school applied for a grant and was award $6,000 for an impromtu “Backpacks to Go” project. This money was used to purchase gift cards from Quality Foods and Thrifty Foods to help vulnerable families in the school community.
With teachers preparing pack packs full of lessons and electronics for students to pick up, the school added gift cards to the pack packs of families in need.
Courtenay Elementary and CECSS are extremely grateful for these grants to help improve the kitchen and help our community weather the pandemic.