School nutrition programs another victim of inflation, rising food costs

With back-to-school nearing closer, school breakfast and nutrition programs are feeling the costs of inflation and rising food prices.

Saskatoon-based non-profit CHEP delivers programs and services related to food insecurity and the organization is feeling the pinch.

CHEP provides food for school breakfast and lunch programs and receives some funding from the education ministry.

“We purchase all the food that we provide to schools and also our own community markets and our good food box programs, and our own cooking programs,” said CHEP executive director Gord Androsoff.

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Androsoff said CHEP’s budget was set in April and increasing food costs means they have to provide less food to each school.

“There are more hungry families going through the pandemic and beyond. There’s more families that are struggling in this community and across town as the disparity in incomes continues to increase — people just can’t afford as much healthy food.”

The Breakfast Club of Canada currently supports more than 50 programs across Saskatchewan with more than 8,000 students fed.

Unfortunately, Judith Barry, co-founder and government relations director, says it won’t be possible for them to help any of the 70 to 90 programs currently on the waitlist for support in Saskatchewan.

“That is quite dramatic and we would love to include them. But, we need more money. We are facing the perfect storm as we know, with rising cost of food and inflation and it is affecting our ability to provide support to students and school partners.”

Barry said food and transportation costs are affecting their operations.

“One of our aims is really to provide three different food groups per child, per day and five days a week, so hopefully we will be able to maintain that level of support,” Barry said.

To help with costs, the Breakfast Club of Canada is launching a fundraising campaign to run until Oct. 30.

The fundraising goal is $300,000, with one-time and monthly donations welcomed.

As of Wednesday, $38,870 has been raised. Donations can be made on Breakfast Club of Canada’s website.