Feeding Futures program provides lunch to 4,600 students at nearly all Surrey schools

Surrey Schools' Feeding Futures program continues to support Surrey and White Rock students through meal programs, expanding its lunch offerings from 57 to 115 sites and providing lunch to 4,600 students daily.

The district’s Feeding Futures program continues to address food security needs in Surrey and White Rock schools, providing breakfast, lunch and snacks to thousands of students across Surrey Schools.

At the January public board meeting, the Surrey Board of Education heard from district staff and principals on how the government-funded initiative has allowed Surrey Schools to expand its lunch programs from 57 to 115 sites, supporting 4,600 students daily who represent approximately 5.6% of overall enrolment. The program’s core mandate is to meet students’ food needs through programs that are inclusive, accessible, non-stigmatizing, nutritious and culturally appropriate.

“Since March 2024, Feeding Futures has introduced hot lunches and universal lunch programs at elementary schools,” said Liane Ricou, Director of the Advancement Office, which oversees Feeding Futures. “All 80 elementary sites now receive hot lunches, and 48 elementaries and all 35 secondary sites provide universal programs.”

In her presentation, Ricou highlighted numerous projects that have been undertaken to improve lunch program delivery, including the establishment of a central commissary kitchen with a single vendor with capacity to prepare up to 10,000 lunches per day for elementary schools. Other improvements include:

• introducing a new online ordering system for elementary parents with more food options throughout the week;
• exploring a rethermalizing program at some elementary schools that have a long lag time between packaging and serving, improving food consistency and look;
• piloting a secondary app for ordering and payment to increase service capacity; and
• creating the School Lunch Working Group to advise the district on new ideas for meal programs.

Advancement also oversees a series of additional support programs, including breakfast programs serving more than 2,000 students across the district, a community partner-run weekly hamper program that sends food home with more 1,500 students at 90 schools, a frozen take-home meal program used by 300 students, and the firefighter snack program that delivers snacks to more than 15,000 students at 125 sites. Feeding Futures also directly provides snacks to 17 schools through a grab-and-go fridge model and three schools for recess snacks.

According to a survey of district parents, 29% depend on the lunch program all or most of the time while 32% depend on the breakfast program, with 87% indicating that school lunch programs should be universal. Other feedback from schools highlighted positive parent responses to the introduction of hot meals, universal programs, online ordering, community fridges and frozen meals.

“All of these programs are desperately needed,” said École Kwantlen Park Secondary principal Brian Tait. “At Kwantlen Park in 2024, there were 100 students getting warm lunch in a portable outside. In 2025, we had 230 students who are getting warm lunch in the cafeteria like all the other students because of the app. That’s been a big change.

“I’m super proud that I work at a district that takes care of people the way we do. The work that Feeding Futures and the district does is changing people’s lives.”

W.E. Kinvig Elementary principal Manjit Nahal said her school has benefited greatly from meal programs provided through Feeding Futures, allowing staff to better support families in need, including many who are new to Canada.

“We pride ourselves in being a very inclusive and welcoming environment, and one of the ways we’ve been able to do that is through the Feeding Futures program,” said Nahal. “It’s a huge part of our school, I actually can’t imagine what Kinvig would be like if we weren’t able to offer breakfast and lunch and snacks.”

Trustee Terry Allen praised Ricou and her team for finding creative solutions to make the most of the provincial funding and provide nutritional meals for as many students as possible.

“We rely on people like you,” said Allen. “This school district can never thank you and your staff enough for what you’ve done for the most needy children in Surrey.

“It’s so important that the public understand the kind of work that some of our staff do for that those that need it the very most. We’ve changed people’s lives from it.”

Holmes echoed Allen’s comments and expressed thanks towards the principals and vice-principals who assist with the implementation of these programs at the school level, ensuring the supports reach students who need them.

“There’s already a list of things they do is so huge and now to help look after this, the work you all do is amazing,” said Holmes. “This doesn’t happen without all the schools and staff that help out with this.”

Supt. Mark Pearmain also shared his gratitude with Tait and Nahal, acknowledging the caring environments that school administrators and teachers create that facilitate the shared success of these programs.

“You and your colleagues every day treat our kids with such grace and kindness, respecting the dignity of the children and the families, and we know the impact that was shared today is multiplied 138 times over by your colleagues at the schools,” said Pearmain. “A huge kudos and I certainly ask that you take that back to your colleagues for the work that they do, which is often unseen.”