Maritime schools reconsider sweets-based fundraising campaigns

Any parent who's ever shelled out for an entire box of sub-par fundraiser chocolate bars can agree: candy campaigns are bad news for your family's health.

But would schools and sports teams actually profit if fundraisers focused on fruits and veggies?

Kredl's Corner Market owner David Wolpin says they would — and besides, healthy food fundraisers could be a major benefit in New Brunswick, a province currently battling child obesity rates near 36 per cent.

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Wolpin says more funds raised could also be funneled back into the community.

"How many cents from a chocolate bar end up going overseas?" Wolpin said. "How many of the kids' parents end up buying the box themselves? What does it teach kids, especially on sports teams?"

Kredl's Maritime Harvest Boxes work much like cookie dough or chocolate bar fundraisers — only with boxes of fresh veggies instead of sugary treats.

The campaigns have proved popular at Beaconsfield Middle School, MacDonald Consolidated School, and with a local veterinary clinic, raising close to $10,000, according to Wolpin.

"People don't have to spend any extra money, and they're getting veggies they'd normally buy anyway," said Wolpin.

The boxes retail for $40 and include "items that are all grown in the Maritimes and have a really good shelf life, like sweet potatoes, squash, turnips, onions and apples," he said.

Popularity increasing

Last year in Nova Scotia, the Nourish Your Roots farm-to-school fundraiser raised $15,000 for schools and $30,000 for local farms, according to executive director Margo Riebe-Butt.

This year, 60 schools are partnering with local farms — up from 13 in 2015.

Riebe-Butt said parents are realizing sugar-centric fundraising models won't change unless people have the means to develop "food literacy" skills.

"I think it's an assumption that people would rather buy the chocolate bar and it's being proven wrong, if you look in other jurisdictions."

Junk food fundraisers banned

The Nourish Nova Scotia executive director says laws passed in Nova Scotia prohibiting schools and other educational institutions from having children peddle sugary snacks mean sports teams are starting to follow suit.

In New Brunswick, an education department policy adopted in 2008 prohibits "the sale of foods with minimum nutritional value in fundraising initiatives organized by schools and students."

Riebe-Butt said Manitoba, British Columbia, and the Yukon have similar programs — and in many cases, people just need to learn what certain less-common vegetables are, and how to cook them.

"It's easier to do things that have already been done," she said. "But this is the road less travelled."

While produce-based fundraisers are getting a foothold in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, such program have been slower to catch on in P.E.I. — although "folks have expressed interest," according to Riebe-Butt.

As the model becomes more popular, fruits and veggies won't be the only option, either.

"We hope to expand the program in years to include all healthy local foods: fish, chicken, eggs, all whole foods that people can learn to cook with," said Reibe-Butt.

She said so far, communities have been excited about the positive message it sends to students.

"People are so excited to support local farmers," said Riebe-Butt.

"Kids are surrounded with so much junk food these days, you can see the enthusiasm from the parents."