I have some thoughts about school lunch. We have such a great opportunity right now to rethink how we ensure kids are fed at school-and to come up with a sustainable, dignified solution that benefits the community as well via the distribution of support funds. Some thoughts:
We’re undoubtedly at the cusp of a steep increase in need. Even pre-Covid, thousands in #yyc depended on school breakfast/lunch programs as their main food source of the day. Without national/provincial programs, is there a solution that eliminates the need for emergency lunches?
Dignity is key: I've never had to wonder where my next meal will come from, but I've heard many kids (and now-adults) say they'd rather be hungry than be identified as someone who needs a free lunch. Having lunch offered to *all* kids means none are singled out.
A small group from various backgrounds has been meeting (well spaced in my backyard) through the spring/summer to discuss ideas around a more sustainable, inclusive lunch structure that could be easily replicated in communities across the country. So how about this scenario:
a social enterprise pairing existing under-utilized restaurant/catering kitchens + staff with schools in their communities. Lunch is offered to *all* kids. Parents who can afford it pay $5/day for a delivered lunch-I know a ton of parents would love to have lunch taken care of...
especially if it meant supporting a system that ensures their kids' classmates are fed. Some families could be subsidized-pay half, or nothing, just like school bus fees. There may be an option for parent council fundraising to cover some. But the kids can't tell.
Higher-need schools could paired with lesser-need schools, to balance paid vs unpaid meals. All this results in more culturally diverse lunch offerings (vs mass produced packaged food from Costco, which diverts funds away from the community), builds community relationships...
and helps keep our hospitality industry afloat, which has the domino effect of supporting farmers, producers and other businesses that support it, strengthening our economy and preventing further food insecurity.
We *need* to come up with new ways to generate cash flow toward our independent restaurants, or we're going to see a domino effect of permanent closures. Such a system would also be more sustainable than one that relies on fundraising + volunteers to provide emergency relief.
And of course such a structure would be so much more dignified for the kids. I'd love any thoughts/feedback on this.
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