The Great Big Crunch promotes healthy eating at school

March is National Nutrition Month.

Thousands of students across Canada, including those at Sarnia's Lansdowne Public School, participated in the Great Big Crunch on Thursday.

At 1 p.m., every student bit into a juicy apple to promote healthy eating practices. They also took part in some hands on activities to underscore the value of eating well.

The Victorian Order of Nurses' (VON) Ontario Student Nutrition Program serves over 13,000 students at 56 schools across Sarnia-Lambton.

Lansdowne Public School students draw on their paper apples at the Great Big Crunch - Mar. 26/26 (Blackburn Media Photo by Josh Boyce)

Community Development Coordinator Brooke Salenbien said events like these are vital to raise awareness of the benefits of nutritious eating.

"What we do is ensure that every student has access to nourishing food while they're at school," said Salenbien. "This is important to give them the energy they need to succeed as well as making sure they're ready to learn, participate and focus in class."

Lansdowne Principal Chris Mitchell said it was a great day for the students and staff.

"Our nutrition program is based on guidelines from the Ontario Student Nutrition Program," said Mitchell. "All of the snacks and breakfasts that we serve here are all in coordination with those guidelines. They get lots of good, healthy food that produces good learning at school. It's open to every student. We try and take the stigma away from it, so staff can enjoy it too. It really does make it a normalized thing at school and everyone knows having nutritious food at school is a good thing."

The VON's Brooke Salenbien (L) and Nicole Paquette (R) at Lansdowne Public School for the Great Big Crunch - Mar. 26/26 (Blackburn Media Photo by Josh Boyce)

The program also plays a role in curbing absenteeism and improving concentration in the classroom.

Noelle's Gift is also instrumental in helping kids access safe and healthy snacks.

Co-Founder Nicole Paquette said her sister Noelle, who was a school teacher, would always make sure her students had everything they needed.

"The program lines up perfectly with our mandate that every students needs healthy nutrition to grow up great," said Paquette. "When Noelle was here, she would always pack and extra lunch or shoes or clothing or whatever her students needed. We're doing the same thing Noelle did when she was here, just so much bigger than she ever imagined."

Noelle's Gift was launched in 2013, shortly after the tragic death of Sarnia kindergarten teacher Noelle Paquette.

More information about the Great Big Crunch is posted to the Ontario Student Nutrition Program's website.

A Lansdowne student puts a paper apple on a tree at the Great Big Crunch - Mar. 26/26 (Blackburn Media Photo by Josh Boyce)