Funds have been awarded to 15 eligible organizations across Saskatchewan to expand school food infrastructure as part of a project led by the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA).
The funding includes schools in both the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division and Prince Albert Catholic School Division.
Earlier this year, the SSBA was approved to receive $1 million in one-time federal government funding from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) School Food Infrastructure Fund (SFIF) under the banner of Expanding school food infrastructure in Saskatchewan: Ensuring equitable reach.
Saskatchewan Rivers will receive $20,000 for their project. Christopher Lake School will increase the school’s capacity to grow, prepare, and serve meals and foster hands-on learning, community connection, and long-term food security in partnership with the Saskatchewan Lions Foundation.
“SRPSD was pleased to support the application to the School Food Infrastructure Fund. The project will support the purchase and installation of new garden beds and updates to the school kitchen, which will significantly benefit both the school and the after-school programming provided by the community,” Saskatchewan Rivers director of education Neil Finch said.
According to Superintendent Garette Tebay the updates to the kitchen will enhance the after-school programs and will allow for greater student participation in food preparation and preservation activities.
“In addition, if the gardens produce sufficient harvests, the community hopes to initiate a snack program for students, further contributing to student health and wellness,” she said. “Lions Club members are also in support of teaching Christopher Lake students how to preserve their garden’s bounty through methods such as canning.”
Tebay said the project aligns strongly with Christopher Lake Public School’s goals to support nutrition, hands-on learning and community involvement.
“The school community is committed to collaborating with the Lions Board to ensure the long-term success of these initiatives and to maximizing the benefits for our students and families,” Tebay explained.
The Prince Albert Catholic School Division and the Catholic Education Foundation were also successful in their joint submission to expand school food infrastructure.
Catholic Division director of education Lorel Trumier said they were happy to partner with the Catholic Education Foundation on the project. Although the funding is just being announced now, Trumier said the division did most of the work over the summer.
“We provided upgraded coolers and food coolers so that students can have those right at the peak times for lunches and meal time,” Trumier said.
The division will receive $40,731 in grant funding. The funding will pay for new food services equipment to be installed at Ecole St. Mary High School. The equipment will not only support food services for Ecole St. Mary, it will also benefit students at St. Michael School, who access food services through St. Mary.
The SSBA was also pleased to be able to invest in the infrastructure.
“We are excited that we have been able to secure this investment to help support our overall school food programming goals,” Shawn Davidson, president of the SSBA, said in a press release. “We were pleased to see strong engagement across the province from organizations working in partnership with school divisions to support our children and youth.”
Eligible recipients are community-based, not-for-profit organizations engaged with school food programs.
The funded projects support objectives related to increasing the capacity of organizations to provide or upgrade food preparation spaces, storage, equipment, and transportation/delivery that improve the food environments within schools and strengthen community food security.
In total, recipients are partnered with 18 school divisions along with Saskatchewan Rivers and Prince Albert Catholic other divisions include Chinook, Christ the Teacher, Creighton, Good Spirit, Holy Trinity, Ile-a-la Crosse, Living Sky, Northwest, North East, Prairie South, Prairie Spirit, Prairie Valley, , Regina Catholic, Regina Public, Saskatoon Catholic, and Saskatoon Public, and one First Nations school (Clifford Wuttunee School on Red Pheasant First Nation).
“An important focus for locally elected school boards is supporting school food programming, “Davidson said.
“We know this can reduce known barriers to learning, attendance and school success.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
