February 2020 – Grandview Woodland Food Connection

A big shout out to patrons of Choices Food Market for their generous donation to the Britannia Food Programs and the Grandview Woodland Food Connection as part of their Xmas Star of the Season store fundraiser.

Also, thank you Choices for their wonderful food hampers full of quality food that were distributed to 25 Grandview Woodland families over Xmas. The food was very much appreciated.

Efforts like these help relieve some of the pressure on households struggling to make ends meet. Particularly with the high cost of rents and other necessities of life, often little money is left to pay for quality food. Many participants in the Grandview Woodland Food Connection are working, but still not making enough. In response we need livable wages, affordable housing, significant increases to income assistance rates and much more to realistically pull people out of poverty. A “living wage” in Vancouver is close to $20/hr. However many people in our city earn far less. Low wages in Vancouver are compounded by the fact that Vancouver is a very expensive city to live in. So while we work to ease food insecurity, we must also be working to advocate for policy change and improved income and other supports.

The Grandview Woodland Food Connection is pleased to be a member of the Coalition for Healthy School Food BC. Universal food programs are a strong Health Promotion focus with many benefits for children

The CHSF is seeking an investment by the federal government in a cost-shared, healthy Universal School Food Program that will enable all students in Canada to have access to healthy meals at school every day. In addition to federal investment, the BC-CHSF is seeking an investment by provincial and local governments of British Columbia in a cost-shared, healthy Universal School Food Program. Building on existing programs across the country, our vision is for all schools to serve a healthy meal or snack at little or no cost to students and families. These programs should include food education and serve culturally appropriate, local, sustainable food to the fullest extent possible.

Budget 2020

The Government of Canada is now seeking input for Budget 2020. As their website says: Take our surveys and share your ideas for Budget 2020. Send us an email. Have a big idea, or more to say? Share it with us by email and add your voice to #YourBudget. The deadline for submissions is Friday February 21, 2020.

This gives the Coalition for Healthy School Food a great opportunity to let the government know about our BIG IDEA, that is PRACTICAL and NEEDED, and that we want them to include funding for a universal healthy school food program in Budget 2020. Please join the Coalition for Healthy School Food in building mass support for a universal, cost-shared, healthy school food program:

Send an Email to budget2020@canada.ca

CC: budget2020schoolfood@foodsecurecanada.org (optional)

SUBJECT: School food needs to be in Budget 2020

Here is a draft email (also pasted in below) for you to adapt as you like and send to the Finance Committee. The goal is to build massive support to make the undeniable case to the Government of Canada to include a national school food program in Budget 2020.

Spread the work via social media.

Help us amplify the message across social media! We need the government to understand that communities across Canada support a national school food program. Spread the word with your networks by copying and pasting the messages here (also pasted in below).

Complete the Survey for #YourBudget

Feeling really keen? The government has also invited Canadians to give their opinion on topics such as poverty, environment, health and reconciliation. Take their survey here and let them know that a school food program is vital to the wellbeing of children. We will be preparing and sending you a guide to filling out the survey within the next few days if you’d like additional guidance on what to write in support of a school food program.

Hope you can participate in the Budget 2020 process to send a powerful message to Ottawa, and we hope that you can join us for our February 18th Coalition meeting.

4. Spread the work via Social Media

TWITTER

Dear @FinanceCanada, it’s time to #NourishKidsNow and put money in the 2020 Budget for a cost-shared, universal healthy school food program! #YourBudget
Dear @FinanceCanada, thousands of Canadians want to see a cost-shared, universal healthy school food program, so that kids have the food they need to do their best. It’s time to #NourishKidsNow! #YourBudget
Dear @FinanceCanada, as a mother/father/aunt/uncle/grandparent, I believe that every child in Canada should have access to healthy food while at school. It’s time to #NourishKidsNow and add a school food program to the budget! #YourBudget

FACEBOOK

The federal @FinCanadaLiveEnDirect wants to hear from Canadians what they want in the 2020 Budget. We think it’s time to fund a universal healthy school food program, so that kids have the food they need to do their best at school.

_____________________________________________________________

(Draft email)

My name is [NAME] and my organization, [ORGANIZATION], is a member of the Coalition for Healthy School Food. I am writing in response to the pre-budget consultation process, and I want to show my support for including a national school food program in the 2020 Budget, an initiative that invests in the health and wellbeing of children across Canada.

Such a program would ensure that children across Canada are nourished so that they can do their best at school and build skills to lead healthy lives. An investment by the federal government in a cost-shared Universal Healthy School Food Program would build on existing programs across the country and amplify their impact.

While such a program was named in the 2019 Budget, now is the time to finally fund and implement this vital program, which would enable all students in Canada to have access to healthy meals.

I join Canadians from every province and territory in the call for a national school food program, and hope that the Government of Canada will include it in the 2020 Budget.

Sincerely,

[NAME]

[RIDING]