School food programs across Renfrew County are set to get a big boost.
The Federal Government is investing $1 billion to create a National School Food Program, thrilling news for Renfrew County District School Board Chair Susan Humphries.
Humphries adds that there’s no doubt that the new National School Food Program will have an impact on battling against the growing food-insecurity concerns in the Ottawa Valley and across Canada.
RCDSB Director of Education Kristen Niemi says that many of their schools offer their own nutrition programs with some combination of breakfast, snack, and lunch options.
The major issue for many of those programs is maintaining enough money to keep them running for the entire school year, a concern Niemi recently discussed with a local principal who had broached the problem with her.
Niemi adds that the numbers don’t lie when it comes to just how serious of a problem food insecurity and child hunger are becoming in Canada, with the Breakfast Club of Canada noting that one in three Canadian kids is at risk of going to school on an empty stomach.
She says that fulfilling the RCDSB’s commitment to empowering student achievement means supporting their wellbeing.
Both Humphries and Niemi are waiting on more details from the federal and provincial governments about the billion-dollar investment and when they can expect to see that money begin trickling down through the system and into the Ottawa Valley.
(written by Kasey Egan)