Source: Posted in the St. Catharines Standard on April 7th 2025 by Matt Barker.
Community agencies are stepping up to feed Niagara students as more are going to school hungry each day.
This as nutrition programs struggle to keep up with demand and high grocery costs, such as Niagara Nutrition Partners.
Its program manager, Jessica Stephenson, said it is not just her organization feeling the pinch.
“Colleagues across Ontario are experiencing the same pressures of record high food costs, increased participation rates, and they’re struggling to feed their children and youths,” she said. The Ontario government’s investment in school food programs, Stephenson said, amounts to about 10 cents per student per day.
She said the national median is nearly four times higher, at 39 cents per student per day.
“We need to rely on our community members and municipalities to step up and fill those holes, as it’s important to understand the true cost of each meal per student is approximately $2.50 — that’s three full food groups.”
The federal government also provides funds for school nutrition programs, distributed provincially among student and First Nation student nutrition programs.
“We need to rely on our community members ... to step up and fill those holes.” - Jessica Stephenson
Stephenson said “bulk buying, cutting corners and costs” where possible helps organizations maintain program integrity.
At least once a week, Start Me Up Niagara helps students experiencing food insecurity, due to a growing cost of food and rent in Niagara, said executive director Laura Dumas. “Several schools have reached out asking for help because there’s been an increase in food insecurity amongst students,” she said.
School attendance, she added, has seen a decline.
“There is an increase in families not sending their children to school because they don’t have the food to send for lunches and snacks. It’s less stigmatizing to keep them at home.” And families continuing to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic are now hit by a worsening economic climate, putting pressure on already tight budgets.
“With the present situation we find ourselves in now, it’s a time of uncertainty for many people,” Dumas said.
“There is an increase in families not sending their children to school because they don’t have the food to send for lunches and snacks.” — Laura Dumas
“Food costs continue to get higher and higher, and we’ve had a decrease in donations because donors have extended their reach to ensure they accommodate more organizations with food insecurity issues.”
Pam Nicholson, SMUN food and resource program co-ordinator, said the agency’s provides 51 lunches every Friday to one Niagara school and 50 to another school, “but it’s not an every-week lunch,” she said.
“It’s just a one-off, when I have time, and I can make something … we start with our closest school and then I divide up what I can of my supplies here.”
Jennifer Pellegrini, Niagara Catholic District School Board communications and community engagement officer, said the board recognizes the importance school nutrition programs play in the academic success of students.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support our schools receive from agencies and organizations working hard to support our students with healthy lunches and snacks,” she said.
“Adding Start Me Up Niagara, which has an outstanding reputation for supporting Niagara residents in need, to the list of those organizations that do so much for our students can only benefit our communities.”
Pellegrini recognized each school’s needs are unique.
“Some rely more heavily on community-based supports for nutrition programs than others,” she said.
Milica Petkovic, District School Board of Niagara public relations manager, said school nutrition programs are essential for success, “with thousands of DSBN students accessing them daily.” “DSBN collaborates with several local organizations dedicated to supporting food security in schools,” she said.
“These groups work tirelessly to support student nutrition, but the needs continue to expand as there is a great deal more work to be done,” she said via email.
School fundraisers play a vital role in the support of school nutrition programs, Petkovic added.
“A key factor in these programs is universality. Nutrition programs in DSBN schools … are open to all students,” she said.
“This approach helps reduce the stigma associated with nutrition programs and ensures every learner in a participating school has access to healthy food, allowing them to focus on learning. “Every student, regardless of where they learn, deserves the same opportunity to access nutritious food.”
Dumas said SMUN has received many calls from across Niagara inquiring about assistance and is connecting those in need to community partners able to help. “Maybe one organization can’t help right now but the next one may be able to give something, so we’ve been lucky with our community partners.”
Matthew P. Barker is a St. Catharines-based general assignment reporter for the Standard.