March 8, 2023 – As the Federal government moves closer to announcing Budget 2023, thousands across Canada are showing their support for public investment in healthy school food. Over 100,000 people are already registered to take part in the #GreatBigCrunch throughout March. This Canada-wide movement and annual moment of anti-silence has students, teachers, parents, decision-makers, and other supporters crunch into apples (or other crunchy fruits or vegetables) to make noise for healthy school food. More than 5000 of these crunchers, many of whom are schoolchildren, are planning to join the virtual Great Big Crunch at 1:00pm EST on Thursday March 9, where they will be welcomed by the Federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould before taking the collective crunch. We welcome members of the media to join the virtual event. Every year since 2008, people in Canada from coast-to-coast have participated in the Great Big Crunch, an original initiative of FoodShare Toronto that the Coalition for Healthy School Food now coordinates. This year, the Coalition is specifically calling for the federal government to fulfill their promises, made in the 2021 Liberal campaign platform and the 2022 federal budget, by committing funds to a National School Food Program in Budget 2023. “Our Coalition has long advocated for a universal, cost-shared school food program that would ensure that all children have daily access to healthy food at school,” shared Debbie Field, Coordinator of the Coalition for Healthy School Food. “The need for federal investment in a National Healthy School Food Program has only grown, as the rising cost of food has resulted in increased demand and stretched budgets for the patchwork of existing programs in Canadian communities.” |
