Local student meal program and school sound alarm over inadequate budget to feed hungry kids
Nutrition for Leaning, an organization which has been feeding hungry kids in Waterloo Region, has been unable to fill all the food needs of their schools for the first time in its 30 year history.
CEO Erin Moraghan says they need about twice the budget they have to meet the demand. Vanessa Haffner, an educational assistant and the volunteer coordinator for the program at Centennial Public School in Waterloo, speaks about her first-hand experience trying to stretch the budget to meet the need. She and principal Stephen Sherlock speak about the difference the food makes for the students and the program’s importance.
Haffner says food insecurity in schools is a real issue that can go unseen by the larger community. “If you’re not within the school walls and seeing every day what our students are coming with for lunch, it’s easy to miss. And I think sometimes our community doesn’t realize how many students are coming to school feeling hungry.”
