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KANGIQLINIQ/RANKIN INLET
About 100 people used their morning appetites to support a health initiative in Rankin Inlet earlier this month.

Mona Yacapin, Jacintha Kaput and Charlotte Zawadski, back row from left, Lourdes Hernandez, Yvonne Aggark-Tautu and Brenna MacEachern, front row from left, organized, cooked and served a community breakfast in support of Nunavut's anti-tobacco program in Rankin Inlet earlier this month. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

A team of Public Health workers in Rankin planned and delivered a community breakfast in support of Nunavut's anti-tobacco campaign; Tobacco Is Not Welcome On Our Land.

Community health representative Yvonne Aggark-Tautu said funding for the breakfast came from the Department of Health and Social Services in Iqaluit.

She said the Rankin team was given lots of notice to plan and deliver the breakfast.

"I was happy with the people who came out to support this," said Aggark-Tautu.

"Having around 100 was a good number for me."

Everyone in the Rankin group made suggestions for the breakfast menu under the guidance of team member and regional nutrition co-ordinator Brenna MacEachern.

And, they all helped out when it came time to cook.

The anti-tobacco event also featured some unique giveaways, with campaign T-shirts being the hot ticket over blue light bulbs.

Aggark-Tautu said the T-shirts proved to be very popular.

She said people still phone her looking for one.

"I didn't count them to know how many we had, but it was a good amount and they went quickly."

Aggark-Tautu said the blue light bulbs started out as a Kitikmeot project.

She said most of the adults at the breakfast didn't feel they needed them.

"This started as the Blue Light campaign in the Kitikmeot as a way of telling people your house is a smoke-free place.

"We gave a lot of them to students at Leo Ussak Elementary School and Simon Alaittuq School, but I still have quite a few left."

The hamlet made the drop-in centre available for the breakfast at no charge.

Aggark-Tautu said, in her opinion, the new anti-tobacco campaign is very effective.

"We're hearing more people talking about quitting smoking now.

"People can come to Public Health and the health centre for help when they decide to quit.

"We do the education part, and they can talk to a nurse or a doctor at the health centre about nicotine replacement kits to help them quit."

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