Why Canada needs a national school food program

‘Spirit of community’
Full tummies aren’t the only benefit of school food programs such as this one. The spirit of community that is fostered when students eat together creates a bond that puts everyone on a level playing field. “When all the children are all fed, they all feel equal,” explains Angela. “We take away completely all the barriers to learning.”

The school’s food programs are funded by Breakfast for Learning (BFL). Launched by the editors of Canadian Living Magazine in 1992, the nonprofit organization helps communities set up breakfast, lunch and snack programs in schools across Canada.
 
Given that extensive research shows children learn and concentrate better and are more engaged in school when they eat well, health and education advocates say nutrition programs should be a staple – not an extra – in our school system, regardless of where children live and their parents’ income.

Another successful program
At Vermilion Elementary School, two hours west of Edmonton, the kitchen buzzes with the sounds of children chatting and utensils clanging against serving dishes as volunteers from this small community help students fill their lunch plates with hot roast beef, Caesar salad and fresh fruit. 

“My friends who don’t live in this area are always amazed at how well my kids get to eat here at school,” says Carolyn White, a working mom, who volunteers with the lunch program one day a week. “On the days I’m here, the fruit is the first to go. It’s great to see.”

Gerri Cameron, the administrative assistant at Vermilion Elementary School for 23 years, started the hot-lunch program eight years ago. “I noticed many students coming to school with inadequate lunches or no lunch at all,” she says. “They would say, ‘When I open the fridge at home, there is nothing there.’”

Increased attention span
Once the program was up and running, everyone who worked in the school noticed almost an immediate impact on the students, who come from diverse economic backgrounds. They were more content, behaviour problems decreased and attention span in the classroom improved.

Part of the money the school received from BFL to start its lunch program was used to install a commercial kitchen in the building. Goodwill in the town has spread over the years, and contributions from the business community and parents (donations of cash, vegetables and meat, such as whole cows; this is a rural community, after all) now fully sustain the lunch program. Carolyn and other parents who can afford to buy their kids’ lunches pay $3 per day. About 10 per cent of students are subsidized through the donations the school receives.

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