Kindersley Composite School Awarded Mosaic School Nutrition Grant

Congratulations to Kindersley Composite School (KCS), which has been awarded the prestigious Mosaic School Nutrition Grant for 2025. This grant, valued at $15,000, is part of the Mosaic School Nutrition Challenge, an initiative by The Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) aimed at supporting student nutrition across Saskatchewan. The grant will significantly enhance the school's efforts to provide nutritious meals and snacks to its students, fostering a healthier and more supportive learning environment.

The Mosaic School Nutrition Challenge, now in its 19th year, is dedicated to improving food security and nutrition education in schools. Each year, the challenge awards grants to schools with innovative and impactful nutrition programs. This year, ten schools across Saskatchewan were selected to receive the grant, with KCS standing out for its comprehensive and community-focused approach.

KCS Principal Heidi Marchant explained the origin of the KCS grant application: “Ms. Vanthuyne's Foods 10/30 classes have been doing "Muffin Mondays" this school year, making multiple batches of muffins each Monday to support our breakfast program. There have been a few times where staff has also pitched in to make muffins for students as well. This got the ball rolling to realize that we can expand this program to offer more opportunities for students and staff to make food that will help us to address the issue of food insecurity among our student body. The more students we can teach to cook, and the more students we can feed, the better impact we will have on learning. We look forward to having some necessary equipment to expand our programming in the upcoming school year!”

While "Muffin Monday" was a great success, with students taking pride in their contributions and even suggesting new healthy recipes, the program's growth has been limited by the high cost of ingredients and the need for more equipment.

With the Mosaic grant, KCS plans to expand this program significantly. The funds will be used to purchase essential kitchen equipment, including six Kitchen Aid stand mixers, an upright freezer, six double ovens, and commercial-grade storage bins and mixing bowls. This new equipment will enable students to prepare larger batches of muffins and other healthy snacks, ensuring that more students can benefit from the program.

The school plans to establish an after-school cooking club. This club will provide students with the opportunity to learn valuable cooking skills while preparing nutritious meals for their peers. The program will also involve parents and community members, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility for addressing food insecurity.

The grant will also support the school's efforts to provide healthy lunches for students in need. Currently, the school purchases lunches for students facing food insecurity, but these meals are often expensive and not as nutritious as home-cooked options. With the new equipment and additional funding, the school will be able to prepare and store healthy lunches in-house, ensuring that all students have access to nutritious meals.

Principal Marchant concluded: "This funding will allow us to make a significant impact on student nutrition at KCS. Our students are excited to take on a larger role in preparing healthy food for their peers, and we are grateful to the SSBA and Mosaic for supporting our efforts to address food insecurity in our community."

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