The Bluewater District School Board says more volunteers are needed to help run the Ontario Student Nutrition Program.
61 schools and over 18,000 students across Grey Bruce benefit from the OSNP, which helps deliver healthy food at little to no cost to students.
Temporary emergency funds that were available to help with increased costs and COVID-19 are so far not available this year, yet expenses are expected to be higher now than ever.
“COVID presented a number of challenges for us but it also demonstrated that school food programs are an essential service”, says Danielle Findlay, Supervisor of Community Relations for OSNP. “Student Nutrition Programs improve students’ overall health and academic achievement. They also offer safe and inclusive spaces and foster connections to the environment. So, it’s important that we get back to pre-COVID programming as soon as we can,” says Findlay.
To effectively meet that goal, many schools are recruiting volunteers. For more information on how to volunteer for the Ontario Student Nutrition Program, contact a school near you or visit their website.