Sign the Petition to Nourish Kids Now and Invest in School Food
Posted: January 29, 2019
Categories: Edible Education Network / GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Ontario
At the end of last year, the Coalition for Healthy School Food launched a petition to the federal government, calling for “an adequately-funded national cost-shared universal healthy school food program.” (The petition aligns with Senator Eggleton’s Motion No. 358, which was introduced in June 2018.)
Over the past month, the petition has picked up steam and is currently at over 2,400 signatures — meaning it will be presented in the House of Commons!
If you haven’t already, we hope you’ll join us in turning up on the noise for healthy school food, and add your voice by signing the petition today. The petition is open until April 3, 2019.
If you believe that all Canadian students should have access to healthy food, and that Canada should join the G7 and other countries that already have a national school food program, you can also help mobilize support by joining the #NourishKidsNow campaign.
Nourish Kids Now – Invest in School Food is a grassroots campaign advocating for a healthy universal school food program, which would build on the investments of our provinces, municipalities and communities.
Not only can you sign the petition, but you can help share it widely on social media and with your local MP. Learn more here, and remember to use the hashtags #NourishKidsNow and #HealthySchoolFood. The farther the reach, the greater the impact!
A national school food program would ensure that all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 have the same access to healthy food in school. The benefits of such a program are monumental and proven elsewhere in the world, as highlighted in this must-read article by Sara FL Kirk and Amberley T. Ruetz, which concludes:
“The cost of implementing a national school food program will pay for itself through improved mental health, learning and other health outcomes.
Schools have a strong history of successful public health intervention and a national school food program is a critical investment that we all can support. It’s a no-brainer.”
Images by Allan Lissner, OCIC, in partnership with Eel Ground First Nation and Canadian Feed The Children.