Students are better equipped to learn when they are not hungry. Access to nutritious food at school can help students stay engaged, focus on learning and build positive relationships with their peers. A Student Nutrition Program (SNP) provides students with access to nutritious food throughout the school day, helping them participate fully in all that school has to offer.

• Must be accessible to all students in a way that respects their dignity, without requiring students to demonstrate need.
• Must provide healthy food aligned with the Canada Food Guide, 2020.
• Must be provided in a safe and welcoming environment, supported by caring adults.
• Must follow safe food handling practices and food safety requirements.

• Provides an online order form of food that meets Provincial nutrition guidelines.
• Provides the food at no charge to any eligible participating school.
• Delivers the food right to your school’s door, once a week.
• Will provide training and resources on ordering, reporting, nutrition guidelines, food safety, and meal planning.

• Must designate someone to be responsible for the Student Nutrition Program at your school (i.e. a teacher, EA, administrator, staff or parent volunteer)
• Must register annually, providing details of your program, and agreeing to the SNP guidelines.
• Must order food weekly using the online order form, between Thursday to Monday each week for delivery the following week (Deadline is each Monday at midnight – even when Monday is a holiday).
• Must track the number of meals and snacks served daily, and complete a monthly online report.
• – Must use Student Nutrition Program food only for its intended purpose of providing accessible snacks and meals to students. Food must not be used for fundraisers or for any purpose outside of the Student Nutrition Program.

• All schools will register their Student Nutrition Program annually in September, online through the WebTracker application, which includes updating contact information, and provides information about your program delivery model and estimated forecast numbers of meals served.
• The registration outlines your responsibilities as a partner in the Student Nutrition Program, and you must agree to the Terms outlined. Please review it carefully.

• Follow any guidelines provided by your school or board, in terms of whether you are able to prepare food, or must provide pre-packaged food. Our current advice is to ensure that any prepared food is done by a qualified adult and is placed in individual servings (e.g. sandwich bags) or is served by a qualified adult in a non-contact manner (e.g. using tongs)
• Student Nutrition programs are generally delivered in one of these models:
  • Bin program – bins and coolers filled and placed in classrooms.
  • Grab and Go – bins and coolers placed in a central area accessible to all students.
  • Grab and Go delivery – trolley delivery of central bins to classrooms.
  • Sit down meals – full meal programs where students eat prepared food.
•  All programs should offer food from two to three food groups to each participating student, as reflected in the Canada Food Guide, 2020 and new Provincial Nutrition Guidelines.
• Training and resources are available.

• Food must be stored appropriately (off the floor, refrigerated, etc.).
• Hand washing and sanitizing must be done prior to handling food.
• All non-disposable dishes, serving utensils, cookware, bins, coolers, etc. must be properly washed and sanitized using the prescribed method.
• Perishable food must only be out of cold storage for a maximum of 2 hours. Any unused food must be returned to a fridge within this time.
• At least one person in your school must have Safe Food Handler certification
• Training and resources are available.

• The Food Sharing project can provide equipment for your SNP, including bins, coolers, icepacks, thermometers, serving tongs, cookware, toaster ovens, griddles and fridges. Contact us if you need equipment for your Student Nutrition Program.

• Order food using our online ordering system through the Webtracker portal.
• All food must be ordered by Monday at midnight for delivery the following week even if Monday is a school holiday. Food can be ordered from Thursday to Monday.
• All food on the order form meets Provincial nutrition guidelines that align with the Canada Food Guide, 2020.
• When placing your order please remember that each meal must have food from two to three food groups.
• Note that some food items are pre-packaged in individual servings, and some are bulk items that need to be prepared. Also carefully note the quantity and unit size.

IMPORTANT: ONLY ORDER WHAT FOOD YOU NEED FOR ONE WEEK – PLEASE DO NOT STOCK UP

Do not order larger quantities on an irregular basis, e.g. once a month.
Order each and every week.

• Weekly ordering guarantees the best price, the freshest food, and maintains equal food volume in our warehouse from week to week. We do not have the physical capacity in our warehouse, commercial cooler, or delivery vans to fill large, irregular orders.

• Schools may refer families of virtual learners who they feel would benefit from additional food support to The Food Sharing Project to receive a monthly grocery store gift card and/or food vouchers.

• Schools will receive their food delivery typically the same day and time every week.
• Schools will be expected to leave empty banana boxes and milk crates for pick up by the delivery drivers.
• A delivery schedule is available on our website (subject to change).

• Daily: Schools will track the number of meals and snacks served. A tracking template can be provided.
• Monthly: the Student Nutrition Coordinator is required to complete a simple monthly report.
• It is important to understand the definitions of “snacks” and “meals”
  • 1 Snack = 2 food group items together (e.g. a milk and an apple)
  • 1 Meal = 3 food group items together (e.g. a banana, a yogurt cup, and a muffin)

IMPORTANT: MONTHLY REPORTING MUST BE DONE BY THE 7TH OF THE FOLLOWING MONTH

• Completing the monthly report accurately and timely is critical to maintaining continued funding to support this program, and to get food to your students. Add this important task to your monthly calendar, and make sure you understand the report questions and definitions. If you have any questions, please reach out. We are happy to provide support.

• Please advise The Food Sharing Project immediately if the Student Nutrition Program Coordinator changes, to ensure the new coordinator is kept up to date.
• SNP Coordinators should expect to receive one email per week, generally Friday morning, with ordering deadline reminders, updates, training, nutrition info, and more. It is important for SNP Coordinators to review this weekly email.
• The Food Sharing Project website will host a number of SNP resources and tools for SNP Coordinators to refer to and use to support their program. The weekly email will alert Coordinators of updates to the web-based resources.
• One-on-one and group training is available and strongly recommended.