Demand for affordable school meals is continuing to grow across Quebec, with more than 84,000 students now reached through La Cantine pour tous’ school program. The organization is serving 263 schools this year, an increase of 88 from last year. Still, the need is outpacing capacity, with nearly 200 schools remaining on a waiting list. The program operates in 14 regions, with 51 caterers preparing meals for participating schools. At the elementary school Édouard-Laurin in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent borough, Patrick Lamarche helps distribute more than a hundred lunches each day. “It’s about a third of students — 100 of the 300 or so here,” said the school’s daycare manager. The school has been part of La Cantine’s program since its early years. Lamarche said participation has grown significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic — roughly doubling their number of students signed up. “There’s life before COVD and after COVID,” he said. “The price of the food is very expensive now, but the price for the meals of La Cantine stay the same.” Families pay what they can La Cantine’s model allows families to contribute according to their financial means. The actual cost of producing and delivering each meal is $6.50, while families can pay as little as $1 per meal. Those who can afford it can pay a solidarity price of $8, which helps offset the cost of meals for families who pay less. At Édouard-Laurin, the meals range from different cuisines to more familiar favourites. Friday’s menu included a burger, vegetables and fruit. Lamarche said the variety helps make the program appealing to students. “It allows students to try foods from different countries,” he added. “Sometimes we have butter chicken, Italian food, or Chinese food — and other times it’s Quebec staples like shepherd’s pie.” With more than 84,000 students enrolled this school year, the program grew by nearly 29,000 compared to last year — a 35 per cent increase. In total, the organization served more than 1.2 million meals during the previous school year. Demand continues to grow “Every year we’ve had to expand the program because more and more schools are asking to have access to affordable meals,” said Thibaud Liné, executive director of La Cantine pour tous. After all, hunger, he said, is known to affect students’ ability to concentrate and succeed in the classroom. “Parents, teachers and principals tell us they notice the difference it makes,” he said. “How this kid and that kid used to be very agitated and had a hard time focusing. And how now that they have balanced, full meals, every day, they see a big difference.” After decades working in schools, Lamarche also agrees the impact extends beyond the cafeteria: helping students arrive in class ready to learn. “La Cantine’s program is a solution here, in schools, to help kids and help parents too,” he said. “It’s the difference between a kid who doesn’t eat and now eats full meals, every day.” Calls for more government support La Cantine pour tous is calling on Quebec’s political parties to make school food a greater priority during the provincial election campaign. So far, Québec Solidaire is the only major provincial party to have made a central campaign promise for a comprehensive school food program. The Coalition Avenir Québec has highlighted its existing targeted funding, while other parties have emphasized different education priorities. The organization has also pointed to broad public support for government involvement in school meals. A recent survey conducted by the firm SOM showed that of the 1,060 Quebec respondents, 88 per cent believed it was important for the government to ensure elementary schoolchildren have access to a healthy lunch, while 72 per cent said school meals should be a priority for political parties. The survey also found that 85 per cent supported a model allowing parents to pay according to their means. Liné said the organization wants to see the program continue expanding so more children can access healthy meals at school.
