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School Food Programs in SD48

green bannerSchool food programs play a key role in nourishing students. This helps students achieve better learning outcomes, and enhances connection with their school, peers, and community. Canadian research shows that school food programs have many positive impacts. 
 
This includes:
  • increasing the intake of nutritious food.
  • promotion of health equity.
  • helping to build lifelong healthy eating behaviours and food literacy skills.
  • increasing school attendance, completion, and academic success.
  • improving student behaviour.
  • strengthening sustainable food systems and creating opportunities for local farmers and economies.
  • promoting environmentally sustainable practices.
Within SD48, we are prioritizing: 
  • The expansion of existing daily breakfast, lunch, and snack programs to ensure that every student who needs it has access to nutritious, stigma-free options 
  • BC and locally sourced foods when possible and supporting programs to reduce environmental impact and minimize food waste
  • The improvement of nutritious offerings and enhancement of food safety practices
  • The integration of food programs with holistic, hands-on learning opportunities that promote inclusion, connection and cultural sharing
  • The strengthening of  existing community partnerships (PAC, community groups, food banks) and exploring new partnerships
 
School Food programs sit within SD48’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion portfolio, acknowledging the key role that nutrition and food play in ensuring students can reach their full potential academically. Additionally, food insecurity disproportionately impacts different groups of people more than others, underscoring the need for an equity-based approach. 
 
 
Feeding Futures is a commitment of the Provincial Government to ensure students are properly fed for learning to enhance positive academic and healthy outcomes. Beginning in Fall 2023, $214 million will be provided to school districts throughout BC over three years to create or expand local school food programs. The Feeding Futures program will immediately address the need for student nutrition and complements the progress made with the Student and Family Affordability Fund, which helps alleviate the challenges of increasing food costs for families in need. It is expected that this funding will benefit 20% of students facing food insecurity across the province.
 
Read more about the Feeding Futures funding here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023ECC0020-000424
(translations available in Chinese simplified, Chinese traditional, French and Punjabi) 
 
The Provincial Guiding Principles of the Feeding Futures program are: 
  • Students have access to food daily in an equitable, accessible, and non-stigmatizing manner.
  • Programs support B.C. foods* to grow local communities, economies, and food system resilience.
  • Programs are flexible, adaptable, and respectful of local contexts and needs.
  • Students have access to nutritious and culturally preferred foods to support healthy development & learning.
  • Programs centre and include students, families, First Nation Rightsholders, Indigenous partners, and community members in decision-making & program delivery.
 
In 2024, the federal government announced funding to further support school food programs in Canada.  The National School Food policy points out the need for school food programs.  By offering nourishing food at school, students can focus on what truly matters: learning, growing and dreaming big.

The federal government's vision is “that all children and youth in Canada have access to nutritious food at school, in an inclusive, non-stigmatizing environment that fosters healthy practices, while strengthening connections with local food systems, the environment and culture.
 
School food programs are known to be pre-existing in some schools.  However, they rely heavily or exclusively on volunteers, community groups, parents, and donations from the charitable and private sectors.  The federal government heard through stakeholder review that a lack of resources, an overreliance on volunteers, and rising costs are compromising the sustainability of these programs. The intention of Feeding Futures and the National School Food Policy is to build on and strengthen these efforts.
 

We value your feedback and input as we expand these programs!

 
We anticipate expanding the before school breakfast programs for SY2024-25, as well as options available as a “soft start” for students arriving after the bell or in the first break. 

Many of these programs are available free of charge to encourage an inclusive environment. Other schools will have grab and go breakfast options available through their community fridges. Please monitor your school newsletter for more detailed information, as menus and offerings vary between schools.
Lunch programs are being developed across the school district.  As such, schools are at different stages in offering a nourishing lunch program that reflects the goals of the school district food program. Feeding Futures is a three-year initiative and programs will continue to take shape during that time.
We are currently piloting a pay-what-you-can lunch program at elementary schools in Squamish. 
Learn more here:  https://www.sd48seatosky.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1165101&type=d&pREC_ID=1394217&tota11y=true 
 
Meals are ordered through MunchaLunch, where debit and credit card payments are accepted. Paper lunch orders are still available, and can be picked up at the front desk of the school.  Cash and cheque are the only payment methods accepted at this time when ordering via a paper order form.
 
Many schools have preexisting food programs. These programs are evolving to align with the Feeding Futures principles and the National School Food Policy. It is with gratitude to community partners, PAC, and dedicated staff that these programs have been existing to provide nourishment to the student population. These programs are the foundation for the enhancement of many school district food programs.
 
What about PAC hot lunch days? 
PAC hot lunch days are a long-standing tradition and are welcome to continue. For programs that are offered frequently (i.e. weekly or more often), SD48 will work with programs to offer more nutritious options more frequently. The school district food program will work with PACs to coordinate efforts. For example, if a PAC wants to offer lunch on Tuesdays, then the school food program will operate the other days of the week.
 
Most schools in the school district have a community fridge set up in a centralized location where food is available to access. Food in these fridges are provided by Community Partners, including Squamish Helping Hands, Whistler Community Services Society and the Pemberton Food Bank as well as district provided food, and stocked by volunteers and school staff. They provide a variety of grab and go breakfast and lunch options including sandwiches and wraps, yogurt, vegetables, fruit, and more.

See allergy information for meal programs across the district at the link below. If the information you are looking for is not available in this folder, please contact [email protected] 

SD48 Allergy Information

A key principle of the school food programs is to source food locally where possible and reflective of local and regional circumstances.  This includes school gardens, and partnering with the community.  If you are an interested food producer and/or processor, please email [email protected]

Would you like to donate to support our school food programs? 


We aim to have these programs accessed by any student without stigma or barriers, donations are welcome to support the program. Financial donations can be provided to the school district office and will be used to support access of nutritious food by all students

Contact [email protected] for more details. 

School Food programs and food supports vary across schools in the district due to many factors. Please fill out the form below if you would like to ensure you find out about additional food supports available at your children's school(s) (ie accessing free hot lunch programs, gift cards to grocery stores, etc). 

Fill out the form here.

 

Thank you to our Community Partners!

Thank you to our community partners, volunteers and community members,, as well as school-based staff, who helped make all of our food programs a success for the 2023-24 school year!  

Blackwater Creek Orchards, Cheakamus Centre, Grimms Deli, Laughing Crow Organics, Nutrient Dense Farms, Qwal̓ímak Nlep̓cálten, School PACs, Sea to Sky Community Services and the Pemberton Food Bank, Squamish Helping Hands, SquamishCAN, Stewardship Pemberton, United Way of BC, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver Sun, Whistler Community Services Society.