Digby session Nov. 18 will look at healthy school food
Food for Thought evening to be held at Digby Station, starting at 6:30
A Food for Thought event to be held Monday, Nov. 18 in Digby will focus on healthy school food, with three guest speakers slated to share their thoughts and experiences.
Sponsored by the Digby & Area Community Health Board, the event will take place at the Digby Station (former heritage centre), 7 Birch St., at 6:30 p.m.
“It’s about learning from the success of others, so instead of reinventing the wheel, what can we learn from them?” said Jan Murley, co-chair of the Digby & Area Community Health Board.
Invited to speak on the topic are Jenny Osburn, former chef/ owner at Union Street in Berwick and parent advocate for healthy school food; Bill Doucet, principal at Berwick and District School; and Heather Morse, co-chair of the Western Kings Community Health Board and a retired principal.
The session will be a chance to talk about various food-related school initiatives and what more could be done, Murley said.
“Whether it’s a breakfast program or a lunch program,” she said, “there are lots of good things already happening around (food in schools) and what we’re hoping (to discuss) is how can we help to build on that.”
The Tri-County Regional Centre for Education will be represented at the event and those in attendance will get to hear about the TCRCE’s five-year plan.
“It’s actually kind of great timing and hopefully we can all come together and help support it,” Murley said.
Organizers of the Food for Thought session would like to have an idea how many people to expect. Anyone planning to attend is asked to let organizers know by emailing Clyde.deviller@nshealth.ca or phoning 902-742-3542, ext. 1683.
“We would like to have an RSVP,” Murley said, “but we certainly won’t turn anyone away. We want to have as much support out there as we can.”
Meanwhile, the Digby & Area Community Health Board is involved in another event coming up related to food and poverty.
Chew on This – a campaign to raise awareness of poverty in Canada and call for action from the federal government to end poverty – will be the focus of promotional efforts scheduled for Nov. 27.
“We’re going to be at various locations throughout the Digby, Weymouth and Islands area,” Murley said. “That’s (about) access to healthy food, as well as poverty reduction.”
The Nov. 27 initiative in Digby and area is presented by the community health board in partnership with the Digby Family Centre, SchoolsPlus and Health Promoting Schools.
A poster promoting the effort says more than five million people in Canada live in poverty, with one out of eight families struggling to put food on the table.