​School food programs challenged by rising food costs

School food programs, that provide breakfast and healthy snacks to students, are feeling the COVID-19 pinch.

Locally, more than 18,000 students have access to healthy food, at little or no cost, during the school day. However, with higher food prices, school food budgets are even tighter this year than usual.

Additionally, with school closures and restrictions on outside visitors, some volunteers and community groups that helped run these food programs, have not returned since the start of the pandemic.

The Ontario Student Nutrition Program provides funding and support to 61 schools in Grey and Bruce counties. OSNP altered program delivery during pandemic school closures to continue to meet the needs of students and families who faced challenges. They did this by partnering with other community agencies to distribute food boxes and grocery gift cards.

Now, with schools open in September, they are tasked with offering healthy food programs with limited budgets and sharply rising food prices. Temporary emergency funds, that were available to help with increased costs and COVID-19, are so far not available this year, yet expenses are expected to be higher now than ever.

“COVID-19 presented a number of challenges for us but it also demonstrated that school food programs are an essential service,” says Danielle Findlay, supervisor of community relations for OSNP.

“Student nutrition programs improve students’ overall health and academic achievement. They also offer safe and inclusive spaces, and foster connections to the environment. So, it’s important that we get back to pre-COVID-19 programming as soon as we can.”

To effectively meet that goal, many schools are recruiting volunteers. For more information on how to volunteer for the OSNP, contact a school near you or visit www.osnp.ca or contact Bev Gateman, community development co-ordinator for Grey-Bruce, directly at bev_gateman@bwdsb.on.ca.

OSNP is a program administered by VON Canada. Information on how to donate is available on the VON’s website: www.von.ca.