School nutrition program expanded across Manitoba

Premier Wab Kinew has lunch with elementary students at Donwood School in Winnipeg on Sept. 5, 2024. The province announced an expansion of its school nutrition program to every school in Manitoba. (Daniel Timmerman/CTV News Winnipeg)

As kids head back to school for another year, the Manitoba government is making sure none of them go without eating.

Premier Wab Kinew announced Thursday that the school nutrition snack program will now be available at every school in Manitoba.

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"We're putting the money and we're putting the support to make sure that every kid who goes to school doesn't have to go to school hungry," Kinew said during the announcement.

"They'll be able to learn, have fun at recess, read books in the library and focus on all that because they had a snack in the morning and they had lunch during the day."

The program, which was announced in the 2024 budget, will cost $30 million. Of that funding, $21 million has been set aside for the 37 school divisions in the province, while $6 million is going toward schools with a high socio-economic need.

Sandra Herbst, superintendent and CEO of the River East-Transcona School Division, said she spoke with students on the first day of classes Wednesday about the importance of school food.

"When you have good food to eat, it keeps you healthy and you have enough energy so you are not too tired to run around, especially in physical education," Herbst said. "Also, if you have food regularly, you don't have to eat too much at once, because you aren't sure when you're going to eat again."

Herbst said the words from the students remind her that access to healthy food is a necessity.

"Together, we are investing in our students' well-being, and when we do that, we are investing in their futures," she said.