If you are a parent, please contact your child's Principal in order to learn about the various supports and resources available to you and your child, such as no-fee meals and snacks during the school day. Parent and student confidentiality will be strictly maintained. 

If you require nutrition related support within the home, please contact either your family physician or dial 8-1-1 to speak with a registered dietician through Healthlink BC and the Ministry of Health. For more information, click here. 

The funding is to make sure that students are fed and ready to learn by expanding existing school food programs. Emphasis is on providing a meal during the school day, such as breakfast or lunch, and providing supplementary snacks. 

The 60 public school districts in B.C. The funding is expected to reach the 20% of the students who are facing food insecurity across the province. 

Yes, schools have received more funding than in previous years from Feeding Futures

Please visit www.gov.bc.ca/bcschoolfood which contains information on how to start and/or expand a school food program. Please connect with your school principal to work together on creating a plan. 

Yes, community inclusion is essential for a long-term model of feeding students; non-profit organizations, corporate donors, and parent advisory councils will continue to play a vital role alongside schools to deliver school food programs. 

The following documents help guide nutrition within schools and can be used within the home as well to create healthy and balanced meals.

• Canada Food Guide 
• Interior Health - Nutrition and Food Security 
• Government of B.C Healthy Eating 
• Health Link B.C Food and Nutrition 

If you are a parent wanting to offer support to your child's school food program, please reach out to the school principal to find out about volunteer opportunities. 

The school district appreciates all of the hard work that community members and PACs put into helping develop and run the food programs in schools. If you want to get involved, please reach out to the principal at your school for more information. 

Below are some documents that are sent to schools to encourage cultural diversity and reconciliation through food programming in schools. These are resources that are available to the public and can be used by families, community organizations, etc.

Cooking In Two Worlds 

Food Is Medicine Recipe Book 

Healthy Eating on a Budget Cookbook For Diabetes & Diabetes Prevention

The BC Fruit and Vegetable Nutrition Program is a program that delivers healthy fruit and vegetable snacks to over 492,000 children in schools across B.C. This includes the +Milk program to some schools of elementary age. The program aims to increase students acceptance of, exposure to, and willingness to try fruits and vegetables as well as their knowledge and awareness of locally grown foods. The program works with local growers and distributors to bring fresh BC products to school. Every school in SD8 is enrolled in this program and will receive 24 weeks of deliveries which has been topped up 25% from previous years. 

Breakfast Club of Canada 

They accept applications year-round from schools, School Boards/Districts, community organizations, and Band Councils seeking support for breakfast programs offered to school-aged children and youth during the school year.
 

The Vancouver Sun Children's Fund - Adopt-A-School Program 

If your schools is in need of support for food, clothing, and/or learning tools, this program is designed to provide funds and other basic necessities for children in need and they accept applications from school and school boards throughout B.C 

Show Kids You Care 

Show kids you care helps fund the cost of food and equipment needed to store and serve meals. They also work to educate the public about child hunger issues and the need for a national meal program. 

TD Friends of the Environment Grant - New projects yet to be developed 

Eligible projects include schoolyard greening, park revitalization, community gardens, park programming, citizen science initiatives, etc. 

Farm to School Grant

Schools may apply for a maximum of $3,000 to invest in your Farm to School BC project. The amount granted will be dependent on the scope of your proposed program.

A total of 30 grants will be distributed this year across the province with a priority of 50% of all funding dedicated to supporting rural/remote and First Nations schools.

Backpack Buddies is a program designed to fill backpacks with food items that can be sent home with students on Fridays with food to last them the weekend. If you are interested in obtaining a backpack for a student, please contact your school principal to enrol. 

Information about the program can be found here: Backpack Buddies | Feed Children Across BC

A universal lunch program is one that ensures food is accessible to all students in the school free of charge. A convenience program is one that provides meals that are purchased from restaurants to all students in a school for a fee. A food equity program is one that prioritizes students who are experiencing food insecurity. The District uses Feeding Futures to subsidize convenience food programs for students experiencing food insecurity. 

The funding is expected to reach the 20% of the students who are facing food insecurity across the province/district. Building the capacity in each school community to work towards stigma and barrier free access to nutrition food for any student who needs it will take time. 

Donations of any sorts are greatly appreciated by schools, especially fresh produce. If you would like to donate produce to a school, reach out to kelly.mccafferty@sd8.bc.ca to get a list of schools in your area that would like to receive these donations. Donors can also reach out to school principals directly if there is a specific school you are looking to donate to. 

Lunch is an important part of your child’s day. Eating a variety of nutritious foods while at school helps your child get the energy and nutrients they need to learn during the day and support their growth and development. Lunches to go is a resource that can help you pack a nutritious and nourishing lunch for your child. 

Childhood and adolescence is a time of growth, development and learning. As a parent, you play an important role in:

• developing your family’s food skills
• creating a healthy food environment
• supporting your child’s interest in healthy food
• shaping your child’s eating habits and behaviours

How you choose and prepare your food will shape your family’s attitude, skills and eating behaviours.

As children grow, their peers may become more of an influence. Children, however, still look to their parents and other adults around them for guidance.

Click here for resources from the Canada Food Guide on healthy eating habits for your family. 

Involving kids in planning and preparing meals teaches them food skills and the importance of healthy eating. By involving kids in planning and preparing meals, you can:

• nurture healthy eating habits
• increase their self-confidence
• share culture and family traditions
• give them hands-on learning experiences
• stay connected and spend quality time together
• encourage picky eaters to try foods they helped prepare
• set the foundation for children to learn and improve food skills

Click here for more information from the Canada Food Guide on involving your kids in meal time!

Cooking more often can help you develop healthy eating habits. You can cook more often by planning what you eat and involving others in planning and preparing meals. Click here for tips and ticks on how to incorporate home cooked meals into your families diet!