Can you believe school is just 18 days away? Are you ready for it? Are you even thinking about it? We are.
As we look ahead, we look back on an eventful 2024/25 school year.
Last year, the school served 2,441 breakfasts (an average of 14 served /day) and 19,911 lunches (an average of 116 lunches). For lunch, this was an increase of 13.7%! We could have broken 20,000 lunches had there not been a few snow days in February! Of all the groceries that went into making lunch, 30% was “BC Food.”
Following the 2024 presidential election in the United States, CECSS made a conscious effort to avoid purchasing American products. By our estimation, approximately 80% of all food purchased is either made in Canada or from sources other than the United States. It’s a tricky balancing act as we feel children shouldn’t be denied certain food because of politics. We aim to purchase more grown in BC and Canada food, but we also don’t want to deny the kids the joy of eating lemons and limes, for example. Fun fact: We kind of got in trouble for putting lemon wedges in the snack bowl one day. Apparently, some Gr. 5s thought it would be funny to have a lemon-eating contest in class. Their teacher was not impressed!
Courtenay Elementary also saw an influx of new students from different parts of the world. Many enthusiastically participated in the school’s food programs, but at the same time, many don’t eat beef or pork, must have halal meat, or are vegetarians. It was a challenge to meet these needs and we have made an effort to purchase halal meat and offer vegetarian options. These options are clearly displayed on menus and on the CECSS hot lunch page when families order lunch. We intend to make this an integral part of lunch in order to improve accessibility to the program!
We also noticed interesting trends in what lunches the kids like. While our menu has a distinct SE Asian flavour, here’s a list of the most popular lunches by month. (Numbers in parenthesis is the number of lunches served.)
Most popular lunches by month
| September | Tacos, California rolls (120) | February | Sushi rolls (131), butter chicken (130) |
| October | French toast with fruit (160) | March | English muffin pizzas (160) |
| November | English muffin pizzas (155) | April | Tacos (168) |
| December | Tacos (153) | May | Hot dogs (144), perogies w/chicken Caesar salad (144) |
| January | English muffin pizzas (150) | June | English muffin pizzas, tacos (140) |
Enthusiasm for the breakfast and lunch programs aside, we have to give thanks for a lot of effort happening in the background that makes Courtenay Elementary’s food programs possible. CECSS is extremely grateful for grant funding from Comox Valley Community Foundation (CVCF) and the support of long-time supporters, Morson Carson Wealth Counsel, Richardson Wealth Limited.
Their support has dramatically transformed the kitchen over the past five years. In Phase IV of the kitchen renovation that took places during the summer of 2024, grant funding paid for the purchase and installation of a commercial sink and two six-foot stainless steel cabinets. It transformed the sink area from this:
Into this:
The project gave the kitchen the capability to pre-wash and rinse all of the plates and cutlery with sufficient counter space to let everything air dry. It has made cleanup much quicker!
For Phase V, which took place over Spring Break this year, we finally removed the remaining Arborite countertop and replaced it with stainless steel. CVCF funding paid for the purchase and installation of a new stainless steel countertop with dedicated sink for washing produce, a dedicated hand wash station, and a stainless steel backsplash for the cooking and sink areas. The project also added more electric outlets to make using appliances more convenient.
Before:
After:
At one point, we considered replacing the cupboards, but since there was nothing wrong with them, we left them alone (for now!).
As this project was happening, CECSS received a donation from Morson Carson Wealth Counsel, Richardson Wealth Limited. After confirming with school district electricians that there was more than enough electrical capacity to install a larger commercial oven, CECSS used the donation to purchase a new oven.
The new oven has allowed the lunch program to expand its repertoire and bake bulk food quickly. We hope to bake more bread and muffins for the coming school year!
Together, these improvements have made the kitchen safer and more efficient. There are separate space to wash hands, wash produce, and wash dishes. Stainless steel surfaces are more sanitary and make cleanup and sanitation easier. The new oven adds capacity to the food programs.
This infrastructure is the backbone of the school’s food programs and there aren’t enough words to express our gratitude for the generosity of the CVCF and our donors who have helped CECSS transform the kitchen.
Thank you!