Throughout the entire school year, The Salvation Army in Abbotsford, B.C., runs a program that allows students ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade to have access to nutritious snacks at any time while at school. The program is called Pantry34.

This initiative started over 15 years ago to fill a need and to complement other school meal programs.

Once the orders are taken and prepared by staff at The Salvation Army, a community partner helps with the delivery to the schools. Teachers or school support workers have the discretion to select students who will benefit from the program.

That’s something that differentiates Pantry34 from other meal programs, is that it is more discreet, and students can access the snacks upon request.

A key highlight of Pantry34 is its focus on providing healthy options to students. This initiative helps students shift their appetite to healthy food and drinks by limiting access to processed products and by encouraging them to follow these nutritious ways outside of school.