Make a Plan

Publication date: November 29, 2023

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Start developing an action plan

What type of school food program will you offer?

  • Snacks (e.g., fresh fruit and vegetables)
  • Bagged lunches
  • Hot meals for breakfast and/or lunch

How often will you provide food?

  • Every day
  • Once or twice a week
  • On an emergency basis

How will you ensure the program is sustainable?

  • Source from local food suppliers that are building local and regional communities and economies communities
  • Seek supports and resources, for example Feed BC Program, partner with community and non-profit organizations
  • Explore available grant and funding opportunities

How will you ensure the program is accessible to priority students?

  • Consider your delivery model (e.g., pay-what-you-can, universal, application based)
  • Consider food provision for students on weekends and/or holidays

What types of food will you offer?

  • Offer alternative options and menus for students with diverse dietary needs and/or who have allergies
  • Provide culturally preferred and traditional food options
  • Source healthy and local foods 

Build a team

Find staff, volunteers, district leadership, and external agencies and services to work with that will support your program delivery.

Consider others who you can work with, for example:

  • Local First Nation, Métis, and Inuit agencies
  • Local community groups, not-for-profit organizations, and businesses (e.g., Salvation Army, Canadian Legion, churches, firefighters, food banks)
  • Parent Advisory Council (PAC)
  • Food recovery organizations (i.e., organizations that collect unused food for redistribution)
  • Other community members or leaders who share a passion for supporting students

Define roles and responsibilities

Designate or hire a coordinator to manage the program, including partnerships, grant applications, reporting, etc. The coordinator could oversee programs at the district level, in partnership with other schools, or for the school alone.

Determine who will manage food preparation and distribution. For example: The New Westminster school district hired a caterer, food literacy dietitian, and appointed a nutrition steering committee.

Determine the equipment and space required

School food programs will have different equipment and space needs based on what type of food program that is being delivered. A breakfast program that supplies fresh fruit and healthy packaged foods may not require the same equipment or space as a program that provides hot lunches. Ensure that your program has the right equipment and meets health standards before beginning to provide food to students.

Any prepared food must be produced in a facility that has been inspected by your local health authority. The facility needs to have proper dry and cold storage. School cafeterias, community kitchens, restaurants, social clubs or churches often have this type of infrastructure. Caterers providing food to the school are responsible for following health guidelines.

Create guidelines for food production and deliveries

Make sure food is handled safely. Food programs will be required to meet different levels of health standards based on the types of food that are being distributed. If food is being prepared on-site, or there are foods that may spoil when stored improperly, there will be more factors to consider.

It is also important to ensure that all food being distributed is stored safely and securely to reduce possible contamination from tampering or pests.

Food programs that involve meal preparations and distribution will likely need to have somebody that is FOODSAFE certified. Research what the food handler training requirements are for the operation you intend to set up before beginning. Visit the Food Premise Guidelines for more information on proper food storage and preparation.

Use and/or create recipes that are nutritious and child friendly. The food and beverage guidelines for schools (PDF, 936.2 KB) provide nutrition standards to help support menu planning to ensure healthy options are available for students. If possible, recruit a dietitian to help create your menu.

B.C. / local food

Sourcing B.C. food for your school food program brings quality, local, fresh food to students while contributing to the growth, resilience and sustainability of B.C.’s communities and food system. Local food in schools builds student knowledge of community-based food systems and creates connections with farmers, fishers, traditional gatherers, and knowledge keepers.

By purchasing B.C food, schools stimulate and support economic development and help B.C. farmers and food producers, processors and businesses thrive. Every dollar spent on B.C. food in government institutions brings a two-fold impact to B.C.’s economy including new local jobs and GDP (Feed BC B.C. Input-Output model (BCIOM) study).

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food is working with the Ministry of Education and Child Care and other partners to increase the use of B.C. food in the K-12 education sector. Visit Feed BC in K-12: Feed BC in K-12 schools - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)

Outside agencies partnering with schools or districts

  • Work closely with schools to meet their specific challenges and needs. For example, some schools may already be operating a small food program and could benefit from a little extra help in the form of volunteers, donations, or fundraising
  • Have a service agreement with the school district for school staff to help deliver the program to students

Partnering with the community

Consider how you can recruit others to help, such as volunteers, charitable organizations, or passionate parents. Here are a few things you could do:

  • Encourage program members and volunteers to act as ambassadors for your program – they can spread the word and help identify additional resources
  • Form committees to tackle projects or assignments. Include a variety of stakeholder voices such as community partners and school staff
  • Partner with businesses or other community stakeholders that to help support fundraising events, offer annual donations or in-kind contributions
  • Partner with local food suppliers and producers to explore more ways to bring more fresh, local food to your school

Find someone who can help manage public relations and social media to fundraise and make the community aware of the program. They should have your program's best interests in mind when making posts or advertising events. School districts have guidelines around public relations and may have dedicated staff to help with this.

 
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