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Children In Canada Need A National School Food Program Now
From the disruption in their daily routine to the reduced availability of school services, children already at risk are the ones suffering most from the COVID-19 crisis, in all aspects of their lives. For children who don’t get enough to eat at home, or who come from a struggling household, school is a place of safety and nurturing.
Children in Canada need a National School Food Program now! Do you know that Canada is the only country in the G7 that does not provide food for children when they come to school? Do you know that in our country today, 1 in 3 children are at risk of coming to school hungry? The pandemic we are living through has simply made things worse.
1 in 3 children in Canada
are at risk of coming to school hungry WE BELIEVE all Canadian children deserve an equal chance at success. WE BELIEVE a child cannot learn on an empty stomach. WE BELIEVE a healthy breakfast can change a life, a journey, a society. WE BELIEVE that our government needs to support those most vulnerable in our society; our children.
“No child should have to wake up unsure of when or where their next meal is coming from. Our government can change that,” says Catherine Parsonage, CEO, Toronto Foundation for Student Success.
The implementation of a National School Food Program in Canada is in the best interest of our children, giving them the best opportunity to learn, grow, and be their very best.
“Canada, the only G7 country without a National School Food Program, must follow through with its pledge to commit the funds to establish such a program,” says Daniel Germain, President and Founder, Breakfast Club of Canada.
In the coming months we will look to Canadians to join us and be the voice that says hunger will no longer be an obstacle to our children’s potential.
The consequence of the pandemic on young children around the world is devastating. Experts warn that children’s mental and physical health are at risk and their exposure to food insecurity is greater than ever before.
1 in 7 Canadians (14.6%) indicated that they lived in a household where there was food insecurity in the past 30 days1 2.1 million households in Canada experienced food insecurity 39% increase compared to the 2017-2018 Community Health Survey (CCHS), where 10.5% of Canadians households experienced food insecurity2
1Statistics Canada, Food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, May 2020. 2Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), 2017/18.
There are all sorts of reasons Children in Canada start their school day hungry. Be one of the reasons they don’t! Reach out to your MP today and ask for dedicated investments in a National School Food Program.
