April 24, 2026
The start of this past school year marked a special anniversary for one of Halton Food for Thought’s volunteers at Oakwood PS’s – Linda Lightfoot started her 25th year as a volunteer for their breakfast program. Starting back in September 2000, Linda never imagined she would be celebrating 25 years of volunteering, but over time she saw the impact she was having in the school community and was motivated to continue.
During her time with the program Linda has supported hundreds of students through providing nourishing breakfasts for them during the school year. She has been a pillar for this program throughout the years to help ensure it continued to run smoothly for Oakwood students.
Halton Food for Thought's Community Development Manager Carrie Baillie had this to say about Linda's work at Oakwood, "We are incredibly fortunate to have Linda as a Halton Food for Thought volunteer for over 25 years. She has become legendary for the outstanding breakfast program she runs at Oakwood Public School. Linda's time and dedication to ensuring Oakwood students start their day with a healthy meal are unparalleled. The students eagerly rush in to see Linda each morning, always greeted by her warm smile that makes them feel at home as they enjoy their nutritious breakfast."
Beyond the breakfast program, Oakwood also has incorporated a salad bar program at their school to help nourish their students throughout the day. Linda has been instrumental in keeping this program running throughout the years. This program offers students a large variety of healthy food including fruits, vegetables, protein options such as tuna, pasta salads, spiralized beets (a crowd favourite) and much more for the Oakwood students. Linda doesn’t just think about sustaining current programs, she thinks about the future, and to this end she has organized a strong team of volunteers who will continue the programs into the future.
Insert quote from Linda about what motivates her to keep volunteering.
Linda has overseen the many aspects of the program and often goes the extra mile trying to align the program with different events to bring a little extra joy for the students such as dressing up for Halloween or serving red themed food on Valentines Day. As students gather in the old home economics room where the school is equipped with a stove to create warm meals and tables and chairs for students to sit down together and enjoy their meals, the room starts to fill with conversation, laughter and builds friendships between these students enjoying a meal together – all facilitated by program volunteers.
When asked about Linda’s impact at Oakwood, Principal Randy Morassut said, “It’s hard to express how much Linda means to our student nutrition programs here at Oakwood. She has been organizing and running our breakfast program for years and our salad bar program is one of the most successful programs in all of Halton.”
He added, “What you may not appreciate, is how much Linda means to the overall atmosphere of caring that you sense when you walk in the doors at Oakwood. Linda is there at the front door greeting students and parents every day with a smile and a kind word. She is there on our school-wide pancake days, our bake sales, our end of year BBQ’s. She volunteers in the library and also helps to run our book fairs. If students are studying early settlers in class, Linda will be there with her collection of historical items and fully dressed in period costume to bring life to learning. Linda means far more to Oakwood than she understands and we are extremely fortunate and thankful for all her contributions over the years.”
Halton Food for Thought is grateful to Linda for all the support she has given to this program and staff throughout the years. She has been a cornerstone for this program, and we are so proud to be celebrating 25 years of her commitment to the health and well-being of the students at Oakwood PS.
On behalf of the students, volunteers and Oakwood PS – THANK YOU Linda for all you have done for this program and the school during this time!
