Too many children in our community go to school hungry. Sometimes it’s the cost of groceries. Sometimes it’s moms and dads scrambling to balance work and time. Often it is both. And, we know even the best teachers in the world will struggle to reach a student in their classroom if that student is hungry.

It is time for a National School Food Program.

Currently, a patchwork of school food programs exists across the country funded by provinces, non-profits, donors and parents councils. It means access to school food varies by province, area code and even by school. For example, BC announced $214 million over three years for their school food program. Ontario, with three times the population, provides $38 million annually.

Organizations like the Ontario Student Nutrition Program run by VON do heroic work on a shoestring budget. They provide snacks to over 27,000 students in 97 schools across Windsor-Essex. We have a network of local school food champions like United Way Windsor-Essex, UHC, We Are One and St. Clair College advancing school food. A national school food program can expand and provide a huge boost to this remarkable network of heroes.

There are three major reasons why Windsor-Essex should lead the push for a national school food program. First and foremost, to give our kids the best possible start both in regards to their health and their education. Second, because it will help families immediately with the cost of groceries. That is key in a community like ours that has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty, and in Canada where 1 in 5 families face food insecurity.

And third, because we live in a region blessed with agriculture. As the fresh fruit and vegetable basket of North America, we have the opportunity to drive a national school food program that feeds kids in Windsor-Essex and in communities across Canada, while also supporting our local farmers.

With dental care rolling out, a national school food program is the missing piece that will strengthen children and families in our community. And we are so close, but we need your help. Add your name below to support a National School Nutrition Program.

There are few communities in Canada better positioned to understand the need for a national school food program and to grasp the opportunity to lead it. So, let’s lead. Together. It is time. It is our future.