A project led by the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) to expand school food infrastructure in Saskatchewan has been approved to receive $1 million in federal funding.
The project called “Expanding school food infrastructure in Saskatchewan: Ensuring equitable reach” will distribute up to $1 million to eligible organizations across the province who are serving school food and nutrition programs for children and youth in need. The money will come from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) School Food Infrastructure Fund (SFIF).
SSBA President Shawn Davidson said the funding will be used to help third party agreements that school divisions in the province. That would include things like breakfast programs such as Feeding Our Futures in Prince Albert.
“Some boards have cooperative agreements with Lions Clubs or Kinsmen Clubs, or those sorts of things to help deliver food in schools, and obviously with the National School Food program on the horizon, there’s a deficiency of infrastructure in many communities, to actually be able to prepare and deliver that food,” Davidson said.
Key project outcomes include increasing the capacity of organizations to provide or upgrade food preparation spaces, storage, equipment, and transportation/delivery. Davidson said the goal is to improve food environments within schools and strengthen community food security.
“We’re talking about things like refrigeration stoves to prepare food, possibly trucks to move it around throughout a school division or community, those sorts of things are what this grant is and intended to fund,” he said.
Davidson added that the SSBA applied for the funding on behalf of SSBA membership. He said that there have been several resolutions passed at SSBA meetings in the past.
“We’ve certainly heard from our membership that food in schools is really important and that nourishing minds is important for children to be able to look to learn,” Davidson said. “We do have a problem with youth food insecurity in this province.”
He explained that the SSBA has been advocating to make existing school food programs more robust.
“We’re hoping that the province will sign on to the to the National School Food Program to help enhance what’s already happening, but through that whole process, we also heard from our members that they do have a deficiency of infrastructure to be able to deliver these programs when they become available,” he explained.
Davidson said that not all schools have kitchens on site and along with other facilities.
“That’s where this program will really help to fill that gap in, in infrastructure and in equipment for delivering things like the National School Food Program as well as existing programs that are already in place,” he said.
Davidson added that further details will be coming out on the program as they become available.
“This is new, but we do have criteria in place for boards and their partners to apply for this funding,” he said. “We would anticipate that we can get some applications in and get some dollars flowing under this program fairly quickly.”
Another key item is having the province sign not to the National Food Program. He said that the two programs are not inherently tied together but they do interact and benefit each other.
Eligible recipients are community-based, not-for-profit organizations engaged with school food programs.
“This program can fund equipment for programs that are already existing,” Davidson said.
The SSBA will continue to use the advocacy part of their mission to advocate that Saskatchewan sign on to the National School Food Program.
“We have been advocating for that, we have been working with the Minister and the Minister’s Office and the ministry on that program, they do know that it is important to us. They do know that we have identified a need and from the last discussions we’ve had with the ministry folks, they are working on coming to an agreement with the federal government on that program,” Davidson said.
According to a release by the SSBA they will monitor the progress of recipient activities, and support the program through our School Food Roundtable, Kaylee Michnik, SSBA School Food Programs Researcher and Kelly Berlinic. According to the SSBA Michnik was instrumental in exploring and securing this grant, and Kelly has long supported a school food grant through the Mosaic School Nutrition Challenge.
The Daily Herald reached out to the Prince Albert Catholic School Division and Saskatchewan Rivers School Division. The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division had no comment at this time and the Catholic Division did not respond by deadline.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
