One Less Meal to Make

Quick, name the one thing that is the bane of your existence on weekday mornings—besides getting out of bed, of course.

Chances are if you’re like many of us with school-aged kids, the most dreaded morning chore you face is making lunches: the constant need to be inventive, the challenge to find something the kids will actually eat, the chronic guilt induced by stuffing too many nutritionally deficient snacks into the bag while thinking about all the plastic heading for the garbage. (Shame.)

Enter FUNchboxes—an Almonte, Ontario-based company that can do the job for you, at least some of the time.

The brainchild of Dr. Sonja Wicklum, a doctor with a special interest in nutrition, FUNchboxes sends healthy lunches into schools for kids whose parents have ordered them.

Intended for kindergarten to grade eight students, FUNchbox meals are made fresh daily, are high in fruits, vegetables and fibre, and are designed by health-care professionals. They’re delivered throughout the Ottawa area, not just inside the greenbelt, but as far and wide as Greely, Carp, Carleton Place and Barrhaven. Delivery to areas east of the city, like Orleans, is expected to start soon.

Every week, kids have a choice between either the ‘Steady Eddy’ or the weekly special. The ‘Steady Eddy’ is clearly intended for cautious eaters—it’s always a whole wheat bun, cheddar cheese, fresh fruits and veggies, and sometimes a dessert. The weekly special, for more intrepid eaters, varies from whole-wheat chicken Caesar wraps to Greek salads with pita wedges (to name just two examples), always with fresh fruit or veggies and dip on the side.

FUNchboxes was launched September 2006 in three schools, and now serves 43 schools. Most schools offer the meals weekly, although there is no limit to the potential frequency. Schools pay $3.99 plus tax per FUNchbox, and can either charge parents the same amount, or ask a little more ($5 is a popular amount) and raise money at the same time. Even better, FUNchboxes arrive in 100 per cent biodegradable containers made from sugar cane—unbleached, non-toxic and chemical-free. They can be composted, and take just 60 days to break down.

A mom of two herself, Dr. Wicklum started FUNchboxes because she believes kids in elementary school are at an age when it’s still possible to influence their eating habits for the better—a process she believes is more effective when it’s hands-on rather than theoretical.

If you’d like your school to offer FUNchboxes, you’ll have to bring the program to the attention of your parents’ council so the school can make arrangements.

Even if it’s only once a week, it’s one less lunch you have to make!

FUNchboxes
www.funchboxes.com
(613) 447-4386

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