The province of Saskatchewan has officially signed on to the National School Food Program.
The Provincial and Federal Governments announced the $15.8 million, three-year agreement under Canada’s National School Food Program on Monday.
The Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) has been advocating for the province to sign on and SSBA president Shawn Davidson is happy to see it become a reality.
“We’re pleased that the province has signed on to the National School Food program,” Davidson said. “We have been advocating for the province to join and get these funds flowing from the federal government to school divisions, obviously via the province, for some time now, and so we are certainly happy that that this announcement has come today.
“This is a this is a big announcement for us today,” he added. “We’re very pleased to see that there will be a significant expansion of availability of food for students across the province and we have been advocating for this for quite some time.”
The program, which was launched last year, aims to provide meals to as many as 400,000 students across the country over five years, thanks to a $1 billion investment.
As part of this agreement, the Government of Canada will invest approximately $15.8 million over the next three years. This investment will mean that food programs will be available in more schools to more students.
Davidson said this agreement will allow divisions and local partners to purchase a significant amount of food to deliver a nutrition programs in schools around Saskatchewan. “We know that currently about 25 per cent of the students in the province access school nutrition programs in some capacity,” Davidson said. “We also know that about half of the schools in the province have some form of school food program in place.”
Davidson explained that in recent years school divisions have been funding nutrition programs as a whole in excess of $6 million. The new funding will nearly double that over the next three years.
“That will allow school divisions to provide significantly more food too more students in more schools,” Davidson said.
He added that the money will be used with what infrastructure is already in place.
“It will largely utilise the services of existing staff to prepare and distribute the food. Essentially, we will see by far and away the lion share of this money go directly to purchasing food for students.”
The Canadian School Boards Association and SBBA first began advocating for a National School Food Program openly in January of 2024.
“We are certainly aware that that there is a need,” Davidson said. “We’re aware that we have a lot of students who are living in poverty, facing a lot of food insecurity, and we know that if we expect students to learn, we have to make sure that their tummy is full and that they’re comfortable and their nutritional needs have been looked after.”
Through the new agreement, existing programs will be supported by investments in training, tools for program providers, and additional support staff. School divisions and community-based organizations will target their programming determined by need and capacity.
“We know that that as cost of living is increased the number of students that are that are facing food insecurity on a daily basis has increased and this is an opportunity to help to alleviate some of that stress on the students in our schools, and we appreciate that,” Davidson said.
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation also welcomed the announcement.
“We are very pleased with this announcement and congratulate the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan on this important step forward to feed hungry students in our province. This investment by the federal and provincial governments will have a significant impact on the individual lives of many students, as well as positively impact the broader school communities,” STF President Samantha Becotte said in a release.
“We appreciate the leadership and sector collaboration shown by the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, Canadian School Boards Association, local school boards and the Canadian Teachers’ Federation in championing the benefits and value of the National School Food Program.”
The province was also happy to finally sign on to the agreement/
“We recognize that basic nutrition at school contributes to positive student outcomes, including improved academic work, initiative, class participation and problem solving. This funding will make a difference and allow us to continue to support the well-being of children and families who need it most across our growing province,” Minister of Education Everett Hindley said in a press release.
“When kids are hungry, they can’t focus—it’s that simple. That’s why we’re making sure more kids in Saskatchewan get healthy meals at school. Filling their bellies with nutritious food will set them up for success. It also helps parents save hundreds on groceries. It’s a game changer for everyone,” Jenna Sudds, Federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development added.
