Staff from Merritt Central Elementary School and their friends hit the links at Quilchina Golf Course on Saturday to raise money for the school’s breakfast program.
“We feed probably 40-50 kids every morning with our breakfast club,” said Leroy Slanzi, principal of Merritt Central. “Every Friday we give them a pancake breakfast. Numbers go up to about 100 on those days, of course. This is just a good deal we’ve got with Quilchina Golf Course. They give us a good deal, that way we can make some money. If we make over $1,000, that’s three or four months worth of food.”
The golf tournament featured 18 teams and 72 golfers. Following the golf, the golfers went into the clubhouse for hamburgers and the awards ceremony and prize giveaways.
In all, the golf tournament brought in $1,376, far surpassing their goal.
Slanzi said the breakfast program is important to the school since some students may not otherwise have breakfast.
“If children have a good breakfast, they do well in school. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “They leave the cafeteria with a full belly, smiling, not too sleepy. It’s a good start to the day.”
