EDUCATION

For some schools, hunger is a strong motivator. Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank reports that children make up a whopping 38 percent of people relying on food banks for basic hunger relief. And while Canada is one of the few industrialized countries without a national meal program for kids, some provinces see a stronger commitment to school-based nutrition programs than others. According to Breakfast for Learning, in 2006 the BC government contributed $14 million to school nutrition programs and the Ontario government $8.5 million, while other jurisdictions, including Alberta, spent nothing.

What a program looks like

Each school must assess its own needs and come up with something that works for the kids, the volunteers and the school. Most nutrition programs offer breakfast or snack. At our rural school, most children arrive on buses just before the morning bell, so there’s no time for breakfast before class. That’s why we opted for a daily healthy snack with the focus on fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy — usually cheese, but sometimes milk or yogurt. We used to serve the snack mid-morning, but now, to cover the kids who haven’t had anything to eat yet, we try to have it in the classroom when students arrive.

The snack is offered to every child, every day. Not everyone takes it, but they all get the opportunity; this universality is key to success and part of the criteria from our funders. There’s no stigma attached so children who may be in need aren’t too shy to help themselves. We also have an emergency lunch option that’s used a few times a week. If a teacher identifies a student in need of lunch, or if a child asks, then there are food items and milk available. I suspect that if it were universally offered, more hungry students would belly up to the lunch bar.

Originally published in Today's Parent, February 2008