School food programs in action: Q&A with Fatima Da Silva, founder, executive director, and executive chef of Nourish Cowichan

Tobias Lemay (left) and Fatima Da Silva (right), Photos provided by Tobias Lemay.

Interview by Tobias Lemay, teacher, Cowichan Valley

Nourish Cowichan has been providing students with accessible food at school for eight years. The founder, Fatima Da Silva, has led the expansion of the program to remove barriers for more students to access food at school without stigma.

Tell me your story; how did Nourish Cowichan start?

Nourish was created in 2016 out of a need to support one school with their breakfast program. The issue of students coming to school without a meal was identified by community members involved with our local schools. At the time, the Cowichan Valley had one of the highest rates of child poverty in the province and no sustainable school foods program. The reason we started here was merely because I lived here in the valley.

How has the program grown?

We have come a long way, but our vision continues to grow. Nourish has grown beyond our expectations for our first eight years. Initially we were set up to do a breakfast program in one school, and today we offer breakfast, lunch, snacks, and a weekend program to over 2,700 students in 23 schools in the Cowichan Valley, as well as a lunch program in 10 schools in the Pacific Rim School District. While we are not directly serving the meals at the schools, we ask school district partners to support our vision of an open-door policy free of stigmatization.

What are the logistics of the program?

The logistics of running this program are big. That said, we are surrounded by driven, enthusiastic, and compassionate volunteers and staff that prioritize the well-being of the students above all. We have several chefs as part of our crew, as well as drivers, weekend bags packers, gardeners, and social media and special events helpers. We have built a great relationship with suppliers and farmers. In order to maintain the consistency we require for the program, most of our supplies are purchased; we cannot rely on just donations because of our volume.

Each school has the autonomy to figure out how they want their distribution of food to be done based on their infrastructural capacity. The only thing that we consistently advocate for is that the meals be available every school day and that no child should ever be turned down or made to feel unwelcome.

How does the community support your program?

Our program started as a grassroots movement, and it has maintained its focus in being community driven, which encompasses many businesses and community members in general. Our commercial kitchen is a true testament of that strong partnership: its construction was fully funded by our community. Nourish has an average of 70 to 80 volunteers.

What have been your greatest funding sources? 

Initially all of our funding came from community partners, grant applications, and fundraisers. We are so relieved to now have the Feeding Futures funding from the province as well. We continue to operate with multiple sources of funding.

Anything else you would like to share?

I am extremely grateful for the support that we are getting and for being able to have a seat at the table as we work toward shaping the future of our food programs in schools. I hope that at the provincial level, as well as national level, we continue to diligently work toward a universal school food program, free of any stigmas or barriers, for every student.