When a bowl of fruit sits at a table and everyone congregates, young and old, student and teacher, it creates a healthier community before anyone even takes a bite.
The ability for food to connect school community is one of myriad benefits borne of the Fresh For Kids program, says Emmanuelle Henry food coordinator for schools in the Greater Victoria School District (SD61).
“It bridges … using the food as a connector piece. It’s light and fun because people love fun and they love food and they love free food,” Henry said. “When you build those connections … you’re starting to build a better community that’s feeling more welcome.”
Recently rebranded as Fresh For Kids, the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation program is more than 20 years old – with a new funding structure and the same goals – getting healthy produce and dairy into schools of varying demographics and geography across the province.
“Right now it’s tough for families to buy fresh products for their kids. It takes a village to raise a child, and that’s what we’re trying to do together,” foundation executive director Pat Tonn told the Victoria News.
The program connects schools across the province directly with local farms and existing distribution systems to deliver fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy to classrooms – addressing student hunger, supporting farmers and strengthening the local food economy.
Comox Valley dairy farmer Dave Taylor remembers getting milk in the classroom when he was a kid – a tradition that continues with the added occasional yogurt or other dairy product.
“BC Dairy’s been part of these programs through its foundation work for years, really decades,” Taylor said. “It’s all about our values, it’s all because it’s food. I produce food. And I think to most dairy farmers across the province, and across the country, they’re great programs because they’re teaching kids about our food, about food systems, choices in food. That’s why dairy farmers like to support programs such as this.”
Since 2013, the organization has helped deliver 2.6 million servings of milk.
“I think as we look at partnerships that involve food, that’s what you want, is win-win. Future generations drinking milk, that’s a good news story for us,” Taylor said.
Covering diverse populations, the program is tailored by schools to meet community needs, which can be vastly different between urban Victoria and a small, remote town, Henry noted.
“Imagine northern B.C. with frozen roads and hundreds of kilometres between schools. Having access to all of B.C. and providing the same level of quality and nutrition is fabulous.”
Among her schools, each allocates its purchases to meet student population needs. Some centralize a snack spot in high-traffic areas, or “fridge of love,” or augment programs that already exist.
“Maybe it’s a secondary school with a culinary program and they’re going to make pies or muffins, they’ll use all the apples from that batch,” Henry explained.
There are also the educational resources Fresh for Kids has for teachers online, helping young people connect the food they’re eating with the farm and farmer of origin. Some teachers will align it with Mind Up, a self-regulation calming curriculum that helps students pacify themselves and build awareness about themselves.
It includes a component on “mindful tasting” where teachers might take a bundle of apples and use the food source as a base for stopping, pausing and slowing down.
“It brings in that social emotional learning,” Henry said.
Or it can be as simple as a safety net.
“For some students, that is a huge, huge relief. Whether it’s because they are too lazy to get their act together to make something at home, whether they are hungry because the financial means in their household is low, or they forgot their lunch kit… it’s knowing there’s something there. They don’t panic.”
The universally available approach avoids potential stigma. Plus, food just brings people together; it’s a culture and a conversation starter.
“It’s not about you, it’s about the item you’re holding. It helps for some kids who have a harder time connecting,” Henry said.
The known benefits of a well-fed student’s improvement in cognitive function, focus and classroom behaviours aside, from a staff perspective, it affords an opportunity to send kids to a specific location for a walking break with a goal in mind – and it’s not punishment.
“Having food in the schools is really an essential tool to help everybody,” Henry said. “We know that food and eating are a proven strategy to self-regulate.”
Food in the classrooms is increasingly important in an economy where school budgets are tight and households face bigger challenges making ends meet. Tonn notes that $10 feeds a kid for the year.
“That’s a really great option if (people) want to make a difference in their community or province.”
That kind of awesome purchasing power just isn’t feasible without the program, Henry said. Not to mention distribution challenges.
“There are so many moving parts to get food into a school in an economical fashion. Having that purchasing power and centralized option, it’s been really good for a lot of schools.”
Visit freshforkids.ca to learn how to utilize or support the program.
