Good morning.
On behalf of Fresh Roots Urban Farm Society, and as a member of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, I want to thank you, Mr. Chair and the committee, for inviting me to speak on the budget implementation act.
I'm joining you today from Vancouver, which is on the ancestral and unceded homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Coast Salish peoples, where Fresh Roots has the privilege to work.
Here at Fresh Roots, we cultivate educational schoolyard farms and leadership programs where youth develop healthy relationships with food, the land and community through growing and sharing food that nourishes them, their communities and the planet.
Fresh Roots practises not only sustainable, community-centred farming but place-based experiential learning and youth empowerment. We provide youth with the space to explore what they are capable of while building deep relationships with food, the land and each other. Through our award-winning leadership pathways program, we provide meaningful mentorship and employment experiences for the young adults we hire as farmers and food educators, as well as prepare youth in our programs to step up into leadership positions.
In collaboration with our partners at Growing Chefs, we developed LunchLAB, an innovative school meal program that serves students barrier-free, nourishing and culturally relevant lunches prepared by students with the mentorship of a team of chefs-in-residence. LunchLAB empowers youth to cook food for themselves and their peers, and it provides opportunities for children to find dignity and belonging in their interactions with food.
Not only are children being provided with a healthy meal, but they are also delving deeper to connect to the land and to learn about where their food comes from and how it's grown, and about cooking, nutrition and trying different foods from around the world. School food programming has been shown to improve academic performance, support positive health outcomes and health equity, and foster connections with culture and traditional food systems, all of which have positive, lifelong impacts.
Working to create a sustainable food system, Fresh Roots is also part of an interconnected network of food growers, educators and community members, including the Coalition for Healthy School Food. The coalition is made up of more than 300 non-profit member organizations from all the provinces and territories.
The coalition has been advocating for federal funding for a cost-shared national school food program, and we are very pleased with its inclusion in the budget. This federal funding will make a huge difference to the programs across the country and is needed as soon as possible. It will help existing programs improve the quality and quantity of the food they serve, as well as allowing new programs and infrastructure to be developed for many more students to participate in school food programs.
The Coalition for Healthy School Food has also been advocating for federal funding to be transferred to the provinces and territories, because each one already has an existing system in place to flow funding to school food providers, along with a mechanism for public accountability. All provinces and territories also have food and nutrition policies that strive to ensure that the food served is as healthy as possible.
Therefore, for the health and well-being of children, youth and families across the country, I urge you to support the budget implementation act so that the national school food program will have the resources it needs to be successful, and initiate these important partnerships between the federal, provincial and territorial governments as soon as possible. Your support will enable the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development to sign bilateral agreements with and transfer funding to the provinces and territories to support national school food programming, starting in the 2024-25 school year.
This investment will help school food programs stabilize, expand and implement best practices while allowing us to work together to increase access to school meals for many more children. It will support youth to be well-nourished and ready to learn and to have an equal opportunity to succeed. It will help families by reducing grocery bills and by supporting farmers, food systems, jobs and economic growth. This is a generational investment in the future of our children and communities.
Here at Fresh Roots, we look forward to working in collaboration with all levels of government on the national school food program. We look forward to continuing to grow our schoolyard farms, increasing the availability of fresh, local produce and creating inclusive spaces in which children can learn about the food systems we all depend on.
Imagine how wonderful it will be when all children, from coast to coast to coast, can see and taste the food grown on the land outside their classroom window included in their healthy school lunch program. Investing in the national school food program is investing in healthy and resilient students, families, farmers and communities across the country.
Thank you.