Federal food program 'fantastic' but students need more: advocate

The federal government's new national school food program is a great first step towardmeeting the nutritional needs of Toronto's childrenbut is not enough to solve student hunger, alocal advocate for student nutritionsays.

On Monday, the federal government announced plans to launch a $1 billion national food program, hoping to deliver meals to 400,000 students annuallyby the 2024-2025 school year.

"It's a fantastic start, but there's more work to be done," said Catherine Parsonage, CEO of the Toronto Foundation for Student Success. The non-profitorganization provides student nutrition programs to English, Catholic and Frenchschool boards citywide.

Parsonage says they feed meals to roughly240,000 students across Toronto, with thatnumberhaving grownby 14,000 children so far this year.

She says the city's student nutrition programsare in a dire state as theynavigate higher food costs, shrinking quantities and increased student need.

"It's heartbreaking when programs cannot nourish the children the way they need it to, when all they can offer is maybe two carrot sticks and a cracker," she said.

The federal program will help support Toronto families amidst the rising cost of living, said John Wujek, executive director of the Angel Foundation for Learning, a charity supporting the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

The foundation partners with the Toronto Foundation for Student Success to deliver student nutritional programs to Toronto's Catholic schools. About 61,000 students receive meals from the foundation every day, Wujek said.

"If we are fighting that hunger gap, students are learning along the way," he said.

While Parsonage said she celebratedafter the federal announcement, she says the planned national program will not meet student demandalone.

Municipal and provincial support, as well as support from donors, parents and corporate partners, will be needed to adequately sustain student nutrition programs, she said.

Though the government has said its planning for the program to start operating during the 2024-25 school year, Parsonage says she hopes it can be enacted in time for the nextschool year, starting this September.

"Let's go fast," she said. "Kids can't wait."

'We're very lucky to have this': teacher

On Wednesday, at St. John XXIII Catholic School in North York, all470 elementary students weregiven a cantaloupe slice, breadstick and yogurt tube for their daily morning breakfast break.

Baheya Kass-Barsoum has been a volunteer food coordinator at the school since 2012. She arrives at 8 a.m.to prepare the snacks. Sheportions theminto bins to go toeach classroom with the help of volunteers likeGrade 8 student Sean Mendoza, who hasbeen volunteeringwiththe school's nutrition program for nearly a year,since last May.

The program aims to provide whole grain foods,as well asdairy andfresh fruit and vegetables.

Mendoza stacks the snack bins on a rolling cart that he takes around the school, often carrying four or five bins at a time to deliver toclassrooms upstairs.

Teacher Laura Cross says the nutrition program is a "privilege" for the school.

"The difference when kids have breakfast in the morning [versus] when they don't is evident in their learning, in their attitude, in their tiredness," she said.

"We're very lucky to have this here."

The morning breakfast breakis also a moment for students in a Grade 5classroom to socialise.

Student Ben Alcala said the school nutrition program is fantastic and "could help a lot of students in need."

"Sometimes I'm really late and I don't get to eat a lot," said Santiago Cogollo, another student. "And then I come here and I'm not hungry anymore, because I have the snack."

Student Nico Pineda says he's grateful for theprogram.

"If I don't have breakfast, I'll be very hungry and I can't focus on my work," he said.

As the program's longtime coordinator,Kass-Barsoum, who moved to Toronto from Syria in 2010, saysshe enjoys contributing positively to her community through her volunteer position.

"When you see the smile of the kids that's my pleasure," she said.