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In 2007, my third year after immigrating to Canada, Burnaby Tzu Chi commissioner Jin-Long Chou invited me to participate in the breakfast program at the Windsor Elementary School, to support children from low-income families and others in need. So, starting on February 5, 2007, the breakfast program began to kick off my days on every regular school day in Canada, continuing the connection I had as a volunteer “caring mom” at Shi-Dong Elementary School in Taipei.
The Windsor Elementary breakfast program runs from Monday to Friday. In addition to a few rotating Tzu Chi volunteers, it has also attracted many enthusiastic community volunteers. In an immigrant community where people frequently come and go, manpower shortages are sometimes unavoidable. Whenever extra help is needed, volunteers Shu-Chen Chang and Ting-Hsiang Shi, a couple, along with their daughter-in-law Hsiao-Ting, grandson Hao-Yu, and granddaughter Yu-Lu—three generations of their family—always step in without hesitation.
Since July 2010, volunteer Yi-Rong Liu has served as the coordinator of the Windsor Elementary breakfast program. From then on, every school day, regardless of wind, rain, or heavy winter snow, she drives what volunteers call the “Bodhisattva car” to pick up and drop off volunteers, ensuring the breakfast program runs without interruption.
Every morning, volunteers for the breakfast program arrive at school around 8:00 a.m. They carry ingredients from the refrigerator on the second floor down to the dining classroom on the first floor, set up the toaster oven, cups, bowls, forks, and spoons, and prepare milk, cereal, yogurt, toast, jam, honey, and bean paste (as a substitute for peanut butter to avoid allergies), as well as the children’s favorite—cheese sticks. Once everything is ready, at around 8:25 a.m., a teacher opens the classroom door, and children walk in with bright, innocent smiles—warming the hearts of the volunteers even on the coldest winter days.
Yi-Rong Liu often shares with fellow volunteers, “While we give, we must also plant seeds of kindness deep in the hearts of those we help, creating a virtuous cycle.” With this in mind, she always makes a point of connecting with the children, who in turn share bits and pieces of their lives with her.
Bosen, who plays baseball, told her how he injured his foot, while Kria complained about his grandmother being impatient with him the night before. Yi-Rong Liu always offers them gentle guidance, helping them head to class feeling understood and at ease. Occasionally, when she has to take a day off, some children will ask, “Is Ann coming to school tomorrow?”
The children at the school come from all over the world, and minor conflicts due to different cultural backgrounds are inevitable. Once, a newly immigrated girl from Ukraine walked into the classroom wearing boys’ shoes, and some of the other students started pointing and whispering. A volunteer gently reminded them, “Respect one another. Do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself.” The children listened, set aside their judgments, and enjoyed their breakfast together.
Through years of companionship, volunteers and children have built a deep bond of love. The children have gradually learned to be grateful and to cherish food, taking only as much as they will eat. In Canada, environmental awareness is taught from elementary school, so the children also take initiative in sorting waste and recycling.
Emma, who is always the first to arrive at the dining classroom, often lends a helping hand with her slender arms, wearing a shy smile. Volunteer Che-Hsi Chang describes her as a child who understands that “helping others is the foundation of happiness.”
Time flies, and next year (2027) will mark the 20th anniversary of Tzu Chi’s breakfast program at Windsor Elementary School! Over nearly two decades, every time I head home after completing the breakfast service, I feel a deep sense of fulfillment and happiness.
The breakfast program has given me a deep appreciation for Master Cheng Yen’s Jing Si Aphorisms: “Living under the sky and upon the land of others, what we take from a place should be given back to that place,” and “Only by loving others first can we be loved in return.”