I want to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible work of some grade 4 and 5 students in my riding in west St. Catharines at Edith Cavell Public School. Last week I toured their Fresh West Market, which has provided over 400 bags of fresh fruit and vegetables to families in the community with the support of the United Way, Niagara Region Public Health, Links for Greener Learning and a great team of educators at the District School Board of Niagara.

In February, they provided close to 800 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables, and surpassed that in the following month by providing over 1,200 pounds of fresh produce. On why they started the program, students told me, “We realized that although there are some grocery stores in our area, it is hard to get fresh fruits and vegetables at a low cost. Our goal is to increase our communities’ access to a variety of fresh, affordable produce.” With almost 300 pounds total provided to the community, Speaker, I would say they are well on the way to reaching their goal.

Special thanks to all those involved with this program, including public health nurse Austin White, teacher Alison Edward, principal Robyn Scheubel, Ashleigh Doyle from United Way and, of course, the incredible students at Edith Cavell. I look forward to their next market dates taking place on May 11 and June 8.