More Sask. students going to school hungry

More students in Saskatchewan are showing up to class on an empty stomach this year.

Lin Gennutt, executive director of Regina Food for Learning (RFFL), said the organization is serving about 959 kids at 15 schools in the city. Those numbers are close to last years — when the organization was serving about 950 students — but there is still another school that will be joining the program this year.

“The demand is definitely higher and I actually had to turn down three programs this year just because we’re beyond capacity,” Gennutt said, adding that the vast majority of schools they served last year — 80 per cent — asked for more help this year.

Last year already, Gennutt said her food coordinator told her the organization did not have any more capacity. However, Gennutt said they always try to make room.

“We would get a request and she would work some magic and move some things around and we were able to move a couple of things this year again,” she said.

She added that the organization is mostly limited by their capacity to store food presently and require a larger space to be able to serve more students. However, Gennutt fears the cost of rent setting back the number of meals RFFL is able to provide for kids as the need grows.The Salvation Army runs a number of food programs throughout the year in Saskatoon and Regina.

Lieutenant Derek Kerr, executive director of community and family services with the Salvation Army in Saskatoon, said one program saw an increase of about 3,000 meals this summer compared to last year.

The organization’s Food on the Move program — which serves meals to children out and about in parks and community spaces through the summer in Saskatoon — served 10,631 bagged lunches this year.

In 2022, the program gave out 7,300.

A volunteer with the Salvation Army’s Food on the Move program hands a bagged lunch to a child in Saskatoon in summer 2023. (Submitted/Angela Kerr)

“The need doesn’t go away just because school is out,” Kerr said, calling it a “big increase.”

Now that students are back in class, other programs like their breakfast program and weekend nutrition program are also in session.

Those programs supply certain children that have been identified by their schools as in need of an extra meal with a breakfast before class, or meals to take home with them over the weekend.

Kerr said 26 children participate in the weekend program, while their truck visits three schools for the breakfast program four times a week.

Through the breakfast program, students receive a hot meal that includes food items like a sausage and egg breakfast sandwich, a juice box and some yogurt.

A nutritious breakfast to start the day for a student is the best way to hopefully set them up for a successful day at school, Kerr said.

He added the organization is definitely seeing an increase in the need for food — hearing directly from schools that food is their most pressing need for students presently.

Kerr chalked that up to the heavily expensive time that September is and the ongoing pressures of inflation on students.

“It comes down to putting food on the table or paying your bills and keeping a roof over your head,” Kerr said, explaining the situation some families are facing.

Gennutt shared that food prices have “gone crazy,” and that RFFL is fighting for scraps themselves, having seen their food bill per month “exactly double” from 2022 to 2023.

The pinch organizations like RFFL is feeling brings concerns, as funding for the organization comes almost entirely from grants and donations.

“The need grows and the resources are shrinking,” said Gennutt, who said similar charities are all after the same dollars to meet the growing demand on their programs.

Gennutt herself worked with Regina Public Schools for several years in special programming and saw the importance of a good meal to start the day on a child in school.

“You can’t work with the child when they’re not well-fed and nourished. They can’t concentrate, they can’t sit, they can’t learn,” Gennutt said. “You can’t work with them.”

By filling that basic need, Gennutt said children are shown that they are safe and cared for.

“The child can sit down and concentrate and they’re not worried about how their tummy is grumbling,” she shared.

In 34 years, RFFL has provided more than 3 million meals.

In the 2022 to 2023 school year alone, Gennutt said RFFL served 114,962 snacks; 28,698 lunches; and 11,542 breakfasts.

“It’s startling,” Gennutt said about those numbers.

While proud of the work the organization does, Gennutt said it’s also sad to know there are that many kids in Regina who go to school hungry.

Volunteers preparing sandwiches for Saskatoon kids to eat thanks to the Salvation Army’s Food on the Move program. (Submitted/Angela Kerr)

“There’s not a day that goes by, I say to my wife, I don’t enjoy what we do,” Kerr shared, but said it’s too important to a child’s development and learning to ensure they are fed.

“We have to set up our children for success.”

Kerr said the Salvation Army has developed a reputation for helping people in a crisis.

“This is a crisis for people who are struggling to get food on the table,” he stated.

When it comes to the occasional picky eater, Kerr said through donors, the organization is able to provide options for children to find something they like to eat, and even will offer vegetarian or halal options.

“We try to work with them the best we can,” Kerr said.

Both Kerr and Gennutt are thankful for their teams, donors, supporters and volunteers — anyone who contributes to their work by offering their time or resources.

Kerr said anyone who is interested in getting involved is welcome to contact the Salvation Army, as the organization is always in search of more help.