The Ministry of Education will announce on Friday that it is investing another 5.3 million to fund food aid to schools. More than half of this amount will be used to more specifically pay for rising food prices, Radio-Canada found.
Thus, the total budget will amount to $ 48 million for student food assistance in 2022-2023, which includes the school’s milk program and $ 1 hot meals.
All foods had an increase of nearly 8% on average. We are concerned about reducing our food support offer: we could reduce the number of days we offer snacks, or reduce the number of students [qui les reçoivent]admitted Mathieu Desjardins, director of school organization services at the Center de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM).
The CSSDM spends approximately $ 13 million on food aid in its $ 1.3 billion budget.
However, discussions over the past few months between the school service centers and the Ministère de l’Éducation have resulted. Quebec confirms that the budget envelope will increase.
We actually cover inflation and indexation because we know it costs more (…) So we make sure everyone who receives food aid continues to receive it, taking into account rising costs, and we cover the more studentssaid the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge, in an interview with Radio-Canada.
We were thrilled to see that our call was heardreaction by Mathieu Desjardins.
La Cantine pour tous, which works with about forty schools in five Quebec regions (from Montreal to Quebec City via Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean) is also pleased with this enhancement.
Its chief executive said food aid needs were rising in schools.
Of course, inflation affects us. Everything is rising and we are concerned to know that the needs of schools are risingexplained Thibaud Liné.
Like the Breakfast Club, La Cantine pour tous, which offers a Key in hand the schools, however, do not yet know whether it will also receive additional funding. Discussions continue.
We hope we continue to thrive [nos services] so we can say that there is a safety net in all schools in Quebec, that children have access to food, regardless of their parents ’incomeadded Mr. Liné.
The ministry has reached 309,000 more students
A recent report from the Ministry of Education also confirms the scope of change undertaken in 2021 to reach the poorest children, even in neighborhoods that are becoming gentrified.
In 2020-2021, just over 530,000 students benefited from food assistance offered from preschool to secondary school, or 309,000 more children than in 2019-2020.
The proposal is intended to correct the situation in a context of demographic change as wealthy families increasingly live in neighborhoods once considered disadvantaged.
Source: Radio-Canada
