World champ skater, cuts coffee to feed kids

World cham­pion pairs figure skater and Guelph Storm skating coach Barb Underhill has given up coffee for a month.

Underhill is making the sacrifice in support of The Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington’s Live Free campaign. The campaign challenges Guelph, Wellington, and Dufferin County residents to give up something that they take for granted in support of the Food and Friends program.

"I have decided to give up coffee [my worst vice] for one month. I am a fanatic ... on the way to the rink I hit the coffee shop at the 401 and then on the way home the one on Well­ington. This is going to be a huge challenge,” she said.

Underhill added, “I am start­ing on Feb 17 and will go to March 17 and for every day I make it I am pledging $5, which normally I would spend on my bad habit.  I hope when I make it, I will donate 150 to the Live Free Campaign.”

The funds raised from the Live Free campaign will help to provide a sustainable future for student nutrition programs in the community since only 15% of food costs at those pro­grams are covered by gover­nment funding.

In the 2008-09 school year $350,000 was allocated to pro­grams through Food and Friends, which assisted in pro­viding approximately 550,000 meals at the program sites. Those include breakfasts, snacks, and lunches that help children get the nutrition they need to learn and focus and their classes.  Over 28,000 students in Guelph, Wellington, and Duf­ferin will be participating in the campaign.

For more information, including a list of participants, visit www.livefreecampaign.ca or contact The Children’s Foun­dation at 519-826-9551.