At 8 a.m., while many are starting their day, Debbie Marshall is already busy cooking in a small kitchen in St. John’s, preparing hot and nutritious meals for 140 to 200 elementary students daily. Marshall, a head cook and server at the School Lunch Association (SLA) in Newfoundland and Labrador, began as a volunteer almost two decades ago.
She believes in the importance of providing meals like mac and cheese, pancakes, goulash, and lasagna to ensure that children have full bellies and can focus on learning. Newfoundland and Labrador was the first province to sign on to Canada’s $1 billion national school food program, which aims to support initiatives like Marshall’s.
The SLA operates on a pay-what-you-can model and receives support from various sources to bridge the growing gap between families’ ability to pay and rising food costs. However, the organization faces challenges in expanding its services due to infrastructure limitations and geographic spread.
In British Columbia, Nourish Cowichan has seen significant growth, serving meals to 23 schools and over 700,000 students last year. While awaiting federal funding, the organization relies on provincial support to sustain its operations.
In Ontario, Niagara Nutrition Partners struggles to meet the increasing demand for food programs in schools as costs rise and funding remains insufficient. Without additional support, the organization may face difficulties in sustaining its services this school year.
Debbie Field, from the Coalition for Healthy School Food, highlights the progress made in various provinces and territories and anticipates that all regions will soon benefit from federal funding. She emphasizes the importance of investing in school food programs, echoing a global trend towards providing free meals in schools as a wise long-term investment.
