Feeding Futures Lunch Pilot

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Kids eatingElementary Schools in Squamish are participating in a pilot lunch program run by the school district to support access to healthy food for students as part of the Feeding Futures program, supported by the Ministry of Education and Child Care. This pilot program will run for the 2024/25 School Year, with opportunities for feedback throughout the pilot. Up-to-date information will be provided via school newsletters.

 

Pilot Program Goals: 

  • Provide families with healthy, nutritious lunch options for students at school 
  • Prioritize stigma-free options for students who may need free or low-cost options using a “pay what you can” payment model
  • Test out strategies that may be applicable to other schools in the district
  • Test out a model that may be scalable to other elementary schools in the school district 
  • Build school food culture by expanding opportunities to share meals and try new foods together
 
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Orders are now open for the Winter Session (January 13th - March 14th)!

 

Sign up below to order lunch at your school:

Returning parents can log in here: https://munchalunch.com/login 

 

Add another school or program to your existing account: https://munchalunch.com/account

*Use this if you already have a Munch a Lunch account via PAC led programs. 

 

School-specific pages for new parents to sign up: 

 

Brackendale Elementary https://munchalunch.com/schools/brackendale 

Ecole Garibaldi Highlands School https://munchalunch.com/schools/ghe

Ecole Squamish Elementary https://munchalunch.com/schools/squamish 

Mamquam Elementary https://munchalunch.com/schools/mamquam 

Valleycliffe Elementary https://munchalunch.com/schools/valleycliffe 

Don Ross Middle School https://munchalunch.com/schools/donross

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Frequently Asked Questions:
The cost of each meal will be recommended as between $5.50-8.50 (depending on the size and entree) however, it is pay-what-you-can.
  • Lunch will be provided 1-2 times a week, depending on the school, starting with the following:
    • BRE: Tuesday, Wednesday
    • MQE: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
    • VCE: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
    • GHE: Tuesday, Wednesday (except for weeks when PAC lunch happens, then just Tuesdays)
    • SQE: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
    • DRMS: Fridays
  1. Credit card payments will be accepted online
  2. You can also opt to pay via cash or cheque if needed and payment can be dropped off to the school office.
  • Ordering will be done online through Munch a Lunch. 
  • The platform is available online and is mobile-friendly. If you need an alternative way to order, please contact [email protected] or (604) 892 5228 ext. 126.
The deadline to order is Thursdays at 12 pm the week before the lunch service.
  • We appreciate any support you can give to the Lunch Program. Your support helps with the sustainability of the program for our students.
  • We want to offer a nutritious, delicious lunch to all families who would like to access this program—whether it is because they don’t have time to make a lunch, they can’t afford it, or they want their child to have access to a healthier option.
  • Through the Feeding Futures program, we have funding to support students who need access to a free or low-cost meal. However, the funding is not enough to cover all students to access a free lunch.  
  • We have a recommended cost for each item. We encourage parents who would like their children to have lunch to pay what they are able to, whether it is the recommended cost, a little bit less, or $0. There is also the option to donate a lunch to another student. 
  • Through this pilot, we hope to see if a pay-what-you-can model is sustainable to continue to expand in the future!
Meals will be provided by Freshii and Foodie Kids, a division of Foodie Fit.
  • Students are involved in the distribution of the food to classrooms.
  • We are actively looking for other opportunities for students to be involved in this program. 
  • Parents can support this program by opting to donate a meal via the Munch a Lunch ordering platform. 
  • If you have other ideas for ways to support or would like to donate directly to the Feeding Futures program at SD48, please contact [email protected] 
  • There will be dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, and alternatives available. See below for how each vendor accommodates specific dietary restrictions.
    • If you would like to participate in the program but are worried about allergies or other dietary restrictions, please contact Meryn at [email protected] to discuss. 
  • While the vendors that we work with offer nut-free menus and dietary alternatives, their facilities are not nut-free. Cross-contamination is always possible. It is the sole responsibility of the purchaser to ensure that the ingredients in the product being purchased are safe for consumption due to allergies. If a child is very sensitive or is anaphylactic to an ingredient used in our kitchen, this person should not place an order. We take allergies very seriously, but we cannot guarantee cross-contamination will not occur.  
 
Please see all ingredient lists and allergy information at this link.
  • If lunch is cancelled, all people who placed an order will receive an email letting them know as soon as possible. They will receive a meal credit that will automatically be applied to their next order. Any credits not used up by the end of the school year will not transfer over.  
  • Lunch will only be cancelled due to extenuating circumstances or on days when the school is closed.
  • If you email [email protected] before the order deadline, your meal can be canceled and a meal credit will be provided for the next session. Please indicate your name, your child’s name, the school you are at, the day and food item you are looking to cancel via email. 
  • If it is after the order deadline, we cannot offer a credit for your order, please consider it a donation for a child who does not have lunch. 
  • Refunds will not be administered, but you can receive a credit for your next order.  
 

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For any questions or feedback, please contact the School Food Coordinator at [email protected]. Please include your child's name and school when reaching out.

This program is supported through the Feeding Futures program, funded by the Ministry of Education and Child Care