Student nutrition program struggling to feed kids in need in Waterloo region
Nutrition for Learning's CEO says they need twice the money they have now to feed all kids
An organization dedicated to meeting the needs of children who need food at school says it won't be able to meet all the local need for the first time in 30 years.
Nutrition for Learning has been providing student nutrition programs in schools across Waterloo region in a way that is accessible and not stigmatising for children in need.
Erin Moraghan, the organization's CEO, says donations have not been able to keep up with the growing need.
"What's interesting is that donations from the community are not down. The community is really stepping up," she said.
"We're seeing a need that is just unlike anything we have ever seen. We're actually having a hard time calculating what that need even is. We've increased our food spend by well over 100 per cent in the last two years," Moraghan said, adding that the increase in their budget for food seems to have only put a dent in the community's overall need.
She says just under 25 per cent of Nutrition for Learning's funding comes from Ontario's Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. The remaining 75 per cent of the funding comes from local businesses and individual donors.
Nutrition for Learning has more than doubled its budget over two years. It's currently at $2.6 million. Moraghan is estimating they would need twice that to meet the needs of kids in Waterloo region.
"I was visiting a school in Kitchener just a few weeks ago where kids are cutting fruit in four rather than having a piece of fruit to themselves... and they're sharing little packages of crackers and cutting an egg in half. It shouldn't be like that," she said.
Federal funding
Ontario has reached an agreement with the federal government that will see $108.5 million roll out over the next three years to help fund school food programs in the province.
Officials said the money represents a first round of funding, with federal support for the program in the years ahead still to be negotiated.
In an email to CBC News, Ontario's Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services said the money going to Ontario will feed an additional 160,000 students through Student Nutrition Program this school year and 130,000 more meals will be served through the First Nations Student Nutrition Program.
The funding in Ontario will flow through 13 lead agencies and Indigenous partners who administer existing provincial school food programs, such as the Student Nutrition Program and the First Nations Student Nutrition Program.
Moraghan says she has been sharing her concerns about meeting local needs with Social Development Minister Jenna Sudds over the last few months.
"We are feeling actually really heard by the federal government. I think that they do have a really clear picture of the unique challenges that we're facing province to province here in Ontario. Families are just really struggling to make ends meet. And our hope is that this new infusion of funding will help to relieve some of that pressure," Moraghan said.
Trudeau said the national school food program is part of his government's efforts to tackle the affordability crisis — efforts which include national daycare and dental care, a temporary cut to GST on essentials and $250 cheques for the 18.7 million people in Canada who worked in 2023 and earned less than $150,000.
WATCH: Local non-profit says the number of hungry kids in Waterloo region has reached new heights:
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