Advocacy

June 2023

 Advocating for School Food Policy and Programs

in the Federal Budget 2024

Every child across Canada should have access to a healthy lunch at school. DNL is currently advocating for  Members of Parliament across NL to have conversations and raise their voices to be sure Budget 2024 includes adequate, sustainable funding to support a  Canada-wide School Food Program.  

As a part of our advocacy efforts, we are asking all DNL members to please help us by using the template added below to send a letter to your MP. The more letters sent the better so we hope you can find time out of your busy day to support this issue. Please download the template,  personalize it, and forward it to your local MP (a list of MP's is linked below). 

This is a very urgent and important issue that the Federal Liberal Government has stated the intention to craft a national policy around school food, but has not followed through with money in the budget yet. We want Budget 2024 to have monies dedicated to national school food policy and programs! 

Click here for a list of current MP's in NL 

Note: only address the MP as  "Honourable" for members that have it listed with their names (see link); otherwise just use "Name, M.P.". 

Download the letter template here  (please download and SAVE it in your files/computer before you make edits)

You can cc this letter to Lisa Dooley, Chair of Dietitians NL  (lisadooley37@gmail.com). 

Additionally, if you are a member of Dietitians of Canada you can also cc the CEO Jody-Paul Cody-Cox at (ceo@dietitians.ca).

March 2023

The School Lunch Association of NL and

 The Coalition for Healthy School Food need our help!

Every child across Canada should have access to a healthy lunch at school. Please see the information below on advocacy efforts to include a Canada-wide SchooFood Program in the Federal Budget 2023. 

There are 3 action items they need help with. 

1. Write your MP using our template letter.

2. Write the Minister of Finance using our template letter. 

3. Share on social media.

The letters are designed to be shared by any organization, school, town council, coalition, committee, service group, faith-based organization, etc across Canada. The templates are easy as you just have to fill in the blanks. 

The more letters letter in from our province the better as there is great potential that with any National School Food policy developed by the Federal Government that the School Lunch Association NL would be looked upon very favorably as a pilot province given their 33-year history....which by the way, makes them the longest running charitable food program in the country with many other provinces now adopting their model. 

I hope you may find a minute or two out of your busy day to check out the information below and share this information with others and encourage them to follow the link and send 2 letters!