EAT for Education - a locally-based school fundraiser - is back along Vancouver's Main Street and adds Lynn Valley elementary and North Shore restaurants to its second annual event.
According to a press release, the fundraiser takes place today, May 2, on both sides of the Burred Inlet. It began last year with one school on Main Street and nine Vancouver restaurants and has grown to four schools and more than 21 restaurants for this year's event.
The idea originated from a parent advisory council (PAC) meeting held in 2010 at the Mount Pleasant elementary school and took more than a year to come to fruition, but the response from the local business community has been positive.
The concept is simple: just for today, restaurants in Mount Pleasant, on Main street and in the Lynn Valley corridor will donate a percentage of their food profits directly to Mount Pleasant elementary school, Florence Nightingale, Simon Fraser elementary and Lynn Valley elementary school.
Last year's inaugural event raised $2,100 for the school. A SMART Board and travel costs for outdoor educational experiences, despite being overshadowed by bigger new stories.
"When we chose last year's date, the royal wedding was the main news item, Osama Bin Laden was about to be killed and the playoffs were just about to start," said Jackie Ingram, founder of Eat for Education, in the release. "Our May 2 event got bumped off most reporters' desks and we found it a little challenging getting column inches and radio mentions."
Still, it was deemed a success, and this year, three new schools expressed an interest in participating in the event for 2012.
Participating Lynn Valley restaurants include Browns Social House, The Black Bear Neighborhood Pub, Mountain Sushi and Aristos Greek Taverna
Deb Warner, principal at Lynn Valley elementary school said "Lynn Valley School and our PAC are delighted to have the on-going support of our local restaurants. We are particularly grateful for their participation in our first ever Eat for Education event. Their contributions to our school will enhance the learning of students, and contribute to the strong community bond of Lynn Valley families and merchants."
