St. Catharines restaurant owner cooks 200 pancakes weekly for school children

ST. CATHARINES — Joney Ponrajah, owner of the Sunset Grill on Welland Avenue in St. Catharines, cooks more than 200 pancakes every Monday and Tuesday to feed hungry school children across the city.

For more than a decade, he has made and distributed the pancakes to the District School Board of Niagara's E.I. McCulley school each week and alternates between the Niagara Catholic District School Board's St. Alfred and St. Christopher schools.

"It's very simple, when I went to the school, I starved, so when I opened the business, I wanted to help the community," Ponrajah said.

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He recalled how difficult it was as a child to focus on learning when hungry.

"I felt that when I went to school, I'm hungry, I can't study, I can't focus," he said.

Ponrajah said he's happy knowing he is helping children focus on their education.

"In the morning, if kids have something to eat, they can focus on their studies," he said. "Very simple, if you're hungry you can't study."

Seeing a need in his community, Ponrajah contacted an area school to see how he could help.

"I went to a school, I talked to the principal, and they said, 'OK, you must go speak with Niagara Nutrition Partners.' So, I went there, and then they supported me," he said.

Jordan Mammoliti, giving and community engagement manager with Niagara Nutrition Partners, said not many local business owners stand out like Ponrajah does.

"He's a dependable, independent business owner who continues to support nutrition programs and I know that schools really do rely on him," she said.

Mammoliti said the importance of what business owners like Ponrajah do cannot be undersold when it comes to feeding children in need.

"For us to provide a fully universal meal to every student in Niagara, we do rely on fundraising and partnerships to fill the gap we have between the government funding we receive and the true cost of meals each student deserves," she said.

Mammoliti called it an "innovative approach" to helping provide food for children.

"It's not just serving from a specific menu but helping to give students exposure to different types of foods and different ways of cooking and different businesses in the community that support student nutrition goals," she said.

Mammoliti said it provides access and security for children, to not have to worry about whether they will be able to focus on their schooling.

"It gives them the guarantee they can eat the way they should and ... learn and succeed without that hanging over their head," she said.

Mammoliti said it also means knowing they have what it takes to succeed, "even if for a variety of reasons, it's not coming from home."

Niagara Nutrition Partners continues to hear the impact Ponrajah's efforts are having on the community.

"Program volunteers and school staff are extremely grateful when they know food is coming directly from a business like in Joney's case," Mammoliti said.

"They appreciate a business owner would go that extra mile to ensure there's extra food in the school for the kids."

Mammoliti said the children and the schools are grateful for what Ponrajah does for them weekly.

"Grateful really sums it up and appreciative that a member of their community is willing to go the extra mile for their students," she said.

Ponrajah has also provided pancakes for the Mayor's Pancake Breakfast in support of Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.

Last year, Niagara Nutrition Partners nominated Ponrajah for an Ontario Volunteer Service Award, which he received.

Ponrajah said his commitment is not about the recognition, but the feeling he gets from helping his community.

"I just feel happy when I do this, I feel happiness, that is all," he said.

With files from St. Catharines Standard