As the school year draws to a close and summer approaches, food banks across Newfoundland and Labrador are bracing for a surge in demand—especially from single-parent families facing a seasonal spike in food insecurity.
Danielle Seward, executive director of the Single Parents Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, says the end of school marks the start of a hidden crisis. “We will see exponential numbers coming to our food bank in the next couple of months,” she said. “Just looking for snacks and lunches to get through until September.”
Seward emphasizes the often-overlooked stress the summer months bring for single parents already struggling to feed their children. Volunteers are scrambling to fundraise and stock the charity’s shelves before the June 26 school break, but the need continues to outpace their efforts.
The situation is part of a broader, worsening trend across Canada. Recent data from Statistics Canada shows food insecurity has skyrocketed. In 2021, 5.8 million Canadians were living in food-insecure households. That number has ballooned to nearly 10 million in 2024—marking the steepest rise in two decades, according to the University of Toronto’s PROOF research program.
Children are hit hardest. Nearly one-third of all Canadian children now live in food-insecure homes. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the rate is even higher: 40%, tied with New Brunswick for the highest in the country.
Seward says today’s food bank users defy old stereotypes. “It’s not just single-parent families that don’t have a solidified income,” she noted. “We have clientele on income support, employment insurance—and many are full-time employed professionals.”
This diversity makes policy targeting more difficult. However, one solution is gaining traction: school food programs.
Newfoundland and Labrador is expanding its school lunch program, which currently serves 43 schools. The goal is to reach more regions in the coming years. Ashley Byrne of Food First NL, who is leading consultations on the expansion, says these programs relieve pressure on families. “They help make things go a little bit further at home,” she said.
Nationally, Ottawa announced a $1 billion, five-year school food program in 2024, with a vision for universal access. The policy aims to strengthen existing initiatives in partnership with provinces.
Advocates like Brent Mansfield, a B.C. teacher and school food program champion, say these initiatives do more than just feed kids—they level the playing field. “When we offer school food programs in a non-stigmatizing way, they have that opportunity to be a great social equalizer,” he said.
With the countdown to summer already underway, community groups say the stakes are high—and rising.
