Chopping-block talk: school nutrition programs

BY: STEPHEN SPENCER DAVIS | MON DEC 12, 2011 | The GRID

The proposed 2012 budget stands to affect anyone who swims in Toronto's pools, relies on its homeless shelters or frequents its theatres. In the lead-up to council debate in January, we're speaking to those organizations who could be significantly impacted by the budget—and what that means for Torontonians. Today, we speak to Sandra Best, director of Toronto Foundation for Student Success, fresh off a (what proved to be successful) deputation to the city's budget committee.

What is the Toronto Foundation for Student Success?
It's the arms-length charitable organization of the Toronto District School Board, and it exists to help remove barriers in school caused by issues of poverty.

Tell me a little bit about your nutrition programs.
They could be a breakfast program, could be a snack program, could be a lunch program. And they're right across the city. Basically, they're run by volunteers. There is some paid help, but not a lot. Every donation, dollar for dollar, goes directly to food.

In what schools do you have programs?
The Toronto District School Board, the Catholic school board, the French school board and some community centres. Wherever there's a need, there's a program.

What kind of issues arise when kids regularly come to school hungry?
There was a violent incident in one of our schools several years ago and we went to the schools as a foundation and asked, "What do you need?" We expected to hear "after-school programs," we expected to hear, maybe, "hall monitors." What they said was, number one, they wanted food. "Give us food. If you give us food, we can deal with a lot of this." So we did, and the research [as part of an ongoing study] is staggering. Behavioural problems: way down. Incidents of violence: way down. Suspensions: way down. And more importantly, scores on reading and other skills: way up.

So how does a program like this even wind up on the chopping block?
I don't want to speak on behalf of council, but I think when you look at budgets and you look at a 10 per cent across-the-board cut, you maybe don't think about specific programs. But I think it's sort of a simple thing to think, "Well, you can absorb a 10 per cent efficiency if you can buy in bulk," not knowing that, in fact, we already do buy in bulk where we can.

What else do you do to keep your budget lean?
Every program is a local program. For instance, the moms who are volunteering in one particular program will be on the lookout, always, for the best possible price, for everything they use in their program. So let's say cereal goes on sale, or milk—those moms are there, they're clipping coupons every day they're out at those stores and they're getting what they can for the programs. If you look at the food that we buy and you look at the food that's donated, it's really run on a shoestring. When I said "loaves and fishes" in there [during the deputation], I wasn't kidding. This is really taking a small amount of food and stretching it out. It's quite unbelievable.

And it's the public and private sectors working together?
It's everyone working together. Moms and dads are kicking in what they can to the breakfast programs, to the lunch programs. Everybody is doing their bit.

Mayor Rob Ford likes to say that the city should be run like a business. How would you argue for the value of these programs in Fordian terms?
[Leafing through notes from her deputation, reading] If you're hungry you can't learn. If you can't learn, you can't graduate. If you can't graduate, it's hard to get a decent job and, without a decent job, you can't pay taxes. If you're looking at the long-term investment here, it's a very small investment for a very large, long-term investment for the city. From any way you look at this, it's an amazing investment.