The start of a brand new school year is now less than a month away and the School Lunch Association is beginning its preparations to provide nutritious meals to children across the province. Executive director John Finn says August is a very busy time for their management team. He says they have over 100 people who work in the schools throughout the year. They are currently in the process of recalling staff and filling these positions. They also talk to their vendors about food prices for the coming year. The association will receive more funding from the provincial government thanks to revenue generated by the sugar tax that goes into effect Sept. 1. Finn says they used to get about $125,000 from the province, now they will get about $500,000. With the high cost of living at the moment and inflation in food prices, Finn says the extra money is a “game changer”. He says some food prices had gone up 100 percent and the extra money will go a long way.
