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From YouTube: MARCH 9 2023 Statements Sonia Furstenau
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
4th Session
42nd Parliament
A
Leader
of
the
third
party-
oh
thank
you
honorable
speaker
in
my
constituency
over
a
thousand
children
are
provided
nutritious
food
by
the
generous
staff
and
volunteers
at
Norris
Carrollton,
which
was
founded
in
2017
and
led
by
my
dear
friend,
Fatima
de
Silva.
Nourish
Cowichan
has
rapidly
expanded
to
meet
the
community's
need
for
affordable,
accessible
food.
Today,
more
than
a
dozen
schools,
three
day
cares
and
the
maternity
clinic
at
couch
and
District
Hospital
are
served
by
the
donor-funded
non-profit,
with
several
others
on
the
wait
list.
A
Without
a
universal
School
food
program
in
BC,
nourish
character
and
organizations
like
it
across
the
province
are
filling
a
critical
Gap
in
our
social
safety
net.
During
the
pandemic,
food
food
bank
usage
went
up
by
more
than
20
percent
and
has
only
continued
to
grow
amidst
record-breaking
inflation.
To
add
to
this
in
BC,
one
out
of
every
three
Food
Bank
users
is
a
child.
A
Our
Province
needs
a
universal
School
food
program
to
ensure
that
children
from
all
income
backgrounds
have
access
to
nutritious
meals
that
allow
them
to
thrive
within
and
Beyond.
The
classroom
recently
I
met
with
a
Single
mother's
Alliance
of
BC,
which
has
been
a
strong
advocate
for
this
work.
Their
discussions
with
parents
and
caregivers
throughout
the
province
showed
that
quote
overall
participants
feel
that
a
universal
School
food
system
would
address
a
range
of
personal,
financial
and
social
needs
for
families.
A
They
also
expressed
concerns
about
existing
food
programs
that
focus
on
children
from
low-income
families,
and
that
can
lead
to
feelings
of
shame
that
prevent
those
who
are
desperate
in
need
of
food
from
accessing
it.
For
too
long
hunger
has
remained
a
problem
in
our
schools,
and
Community
groups
like
nourish,
have
stepped
up
to
care
for
our
children
amongst
G7
Nations
Canada
is
the
only
country
without
a
national
school
food
program,
but
BC
has
the
opportunity
to
lead
the
way.