School meal programs feeling the strain of high food costs
School meal programs feeling the strain of high food costs
Rising food costs and increased demand are putting a strain on meal and snack programs in Manitoba schools.
All over the country, Canadians are dealing with expensive grocery prices, and now the issue had made its way into Manitoba classrooms.
One factor is that schools are seeing a greater need for meal and snack programs as families that never used these programs before are now accessing them.
“Often schools are seeing an increased need. They are seeing an increased number of students accessing programs,” said Maxine Meadows, community dietician with the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba, in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Monday.
Another issue is the increased costs the programs are taking on. This includes higher costs associated with the food being bought, as well as the fuel needed to travel and buy the groceries.
“We have programs all across the province that we’re supporting. Right from Churchill to the southernmost [part of the] province in Sprague,” Meadows said.
“A number of these programs, they may be travelling a distance to purchase groceries.”
Typically, the way these programs work is that in the spring schools inform the Child Nutrition Council about their needs for a program for the following school year. From there, the non-profit supports the schools through grant funding and nutrition support.
Now, the organization is hearing from schools throughout the year about their need for support.
Meadows noted there are 20 schools on the waitlist for the current school year, with 300 programs receiving grants and support.
“We really don’t know what that’s going to look like for the next school year,” she said.
“We have our grants for this school year, but we’re always looking to the next school year and how are we going to be able to support these programs.”
Those who want to provide support to the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba can find out how to do so online. https://childnutritioncouncil.com/supporter/supporters/
An attorney for an 11-year-old Mississippi boy who was shot by a police officer after he called 911 for help said Thursday there was 'no way' the boy could have been mistaken for an adult.
Texas' Republican-led House of Representatives impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday on articles including bribery and abuse of public trust, a sudden, historic rebuke of a GOP official who rose to be a star of the conservative legal movement despite years of scandal and alleged crimes.
Killer whales severely damaged a sailing boat off the coast of southern Spain, the local maritime rescue service said on Thursday, adding to dozens of orca attacks on vessels recorded so far this year on Spanish and Portuguese coasts.
It is a world wrapped in mystery - the seventh planet from the sun, Uranus, seen up close just once nearly four decades ago by a passing NASA probe and still warily guarding its secrets.
Mexican authorities say they've made an arrest in the killing of a Quebec man earlier this month in the Pacific coast beach town of Puerto Escondido. The Oaxaca state attorney general says in a statement issued Friday that an arrest warrant was executed for a man in Puerto Escondido identified only by his initials in connection with the homicide of Victor Masson.
A Prince Albert man said he can start moving on, now that the woman who attacked his 89-year-old father has been sentenced. He said because of the assault, he lost both his mother and father.
The Catholic school system in Saskatchewan has a long history and is ultimately protected by the province’s constitution. Something the courts have backed up.
Ontario Provincial Police have charged two people following reports of hitchhikers displaying aggressive behaviour along the Highway 17 East corridor in Kenora.
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley held a major rally in downtown Calgary Saturday morning, while her United Conservative rival had no public events planned this weekend after a final pitch to voters a day earlier.
Advocates are hoping the Ontario government will consider alternatives to the use of wild animals in off-leash dog areas for the purpose of tracking as officials push forward with a proposal to expand training areas in the province.
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley held a major rally in downtown Calgary Saturday morning, while her United Conservative rival had no public events planned this weekend after a final pitch to voters a day earlier.
Quebecers are used to congestion headaches on Highway 40, but Saturday’s hold-up was nothing if not out of the ordinary: a horse broke free from its transport container and ran free in the fast lane. Marco Lelievre, a trucker, stopped his vehicle while driving through Repentigny, Que. after he saw the runaway horse.
Those planning on travelling in and around Montreal on the weekend may want to consider public transit or a bicycle to get around as there are a more than a few construction projects that will cause major road closures.
Who is Diandra D'Alessio? She's a Montrealer, a technical writer, a history lover -- and she's last night's Jeopardy winner. The self-proclaimed trivia buff made it out on top with $3,299 under her belt.
The president of the Ottawa-Gatineau Hotel Association says hotels in the area are near capacity this weekend, as Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, the Ottawa Redblacks exhibition game, the Great Glebe Garage Sale and other events attract people to Ottawa.
Health Canada has issued a warning about unauthorized amoxicillin capsules seized from a Vanier grocery store, saying the product may pose serious health risks to users.
As more people are heading out to enjoy the city’s wilderness areas, North Vancouver RCMP issued water safety tips for those spending time at the North Shore’s rivers and lakes.
A man and a woman have been arrested and charged for last March’s murder of 41-year-old Chad Colivas of Abbotsford, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said Saturday.
Everyone is experiencing sticker shock at the grocery store these days, and a new report is putting a dollar figure on how much it’s costing families, per month, to eat healthy.
British Columbia Premier David Eby has called byelections for two ridings left vacant after the resignations of the previous New Democrat premier and a former cabinet minister.
