A call for free lunch, breakfast for pupils

Advocacy groups, teacher unions and food banks want the Ontario government to provide a free breakfast and lunch program in schools to address food insecurity among students.

In a letter sent to Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Children Minister Michael Parsa on Wednesday, the collection of organizations said many children in Ontario are forced to rely on food banks for their nutritional needs.

The groups, including the Toronto Youth Cabinet, Food Banks Canada and the province’s four major teacher unions, said current student nutrition programs in Ontario are seeing increased demand but are not meeting the needs of students.

The organizations said Ontario should provide a universal free school breakfast and lunch program to all students and guarantee that schools have sufficient infrastructure, resources and funding to deliver the meals.

Stephen Mensah, executive director of the Toronto Youth Cabinet, the city’s official youth advisory body, said the benefits of providing universal school meals to students include increasing their school achievement, reducing absenteeism and promoting good health.

“No child should go to school hungry,” Mensah said Wednesday. “The child’s right to food is not a luxury that should be experienced by few, but a necessity deserved by all.”

Henry Chiu, director of development and marketing at the North York Harvest Food Bank in Toronto, said an unprecedented number of people have been relying on food banks in recent months, including many families with children.

“With our network of 37 agencies, we’re serving more than 20,000 (people) each month,” he said. “This is the highest number we’ve seen in our 36-year history.”