[BCFSN] Going the Distance for Healthy School Food Campaign: 200 Laps for $200 Million

[Brent Mansfield]

Hello all,

On Friday, October 27 I will be running 200 laps (~90km) around my school,
with students joining me during school hours, to ask the Government of
Canada to honour their commitment to give $200 million per year (for 5
years) to develop a national school food program. 200 laps? 90km? Poetic,
sure, but a little wild? That’s the point… it’s my attempt at a publicity
stunt for the public good.

The run and whole campaign is aligned with and part of the advocacy work of
the Coalition for Healthy School Food <http://www.healthyschoolfood.ca>,
which includes 260+ members and 120+ endorsers in all provinces and
territories. I had the opportunity to be part of the founding meetings of
the Coalition in Halifax in 2014. I was involved in the formation of the BC
Chapter of Coalition, which I have been on the Steering Committee of since
it started 5 years ago.

In the lead-up to the run my students will be involved in writing letters,
making signs and costumes, and creating short videos to join the campaign
for a national school food program. Students have also been providing ideas
and inspiration for a social media campaign to ask influential Canadians
(including Vancouver-born actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Ryan
Reynolds) to speak out for school food in Canada. For those that follow
along on social media, please be prepared for a few random spoof videos to
try to see if we can get Ryan Reynolds’ attention, and build some
excitement along the way. I know my students are excited!

If you haven’t watched the 7-minute film
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2oAlsUkUvY> on LunchLAB produced for CBC
Vancouver yet I encourage you to do so. I hope it can create an imagination
for what school food programs could look like if there was significant
public investment and school communities formed diverse partnerships at the
community level to make school food programs develop and thrive. School
food programs will look different in every community because every
community is different. School food matters everywhere. Students matter
everywhere, which is why we need a national program. As of the beginning of
2023 we now have designated funding for school food programs in BC. The new
premier of Manitoba has committed to take action to create a program in his
first 100 days in office. We need the Government of Canada to honour their
commitment to create a national school food program. I have hope that if
enough people know the opportunity we have in Canada RIGHT NOW to create
one they would take action to speak out for school food.

How You Can Support

You can support by sharing news about the run through your networks through
email and social media, speaking out about the need for school food
programs in your networks, and, for those who would like, we’re welcoming
pledges to help LunchLAB grow to other schools.

Please share this email, and for those on social media, I’ve created public
accounts so you can follow along and help share broadly:

Instagram: runningforschoolfood <https://instagram.com/runningforschoolfood>

Facebook page: Going the Distance for Healthy School Food
<https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552526046367>

TikTok (for my students and the younger crowd): Carrot Guy 101
<https://www.tiktok.com/@carrotguy101>

Pledges

This event is focused on getting public investment in school food programs,
but I have had several people ask if they can make a pledge. LunchLAB is
starting in an additional school next month. Growing Chefs and the LunchLAB
team have a vision to grow to many more schools in the years ahead. Any
pledges will go toward growing the work of LunchLAB expand, and can be made
by clicking on the Donate button at https://www.growingchefs.ca/lunchlab.

In Honour Of

And for those that are still reading, I want to acknowledge that this whole
wild campaign is in honour of two amazing men that shaped me to be the man
I am, and have inspired me to go for it in this campaign and in life.
Firstly, my own dad, Barry Mansfield - caring father, out-of-the-box
teacher, someone who loved to cook and share food, runner and athlete.
Secondly, Wayne Roberts - prominent Canadian food policy activist, someone
I am so grateful to have had as a mentor and friend, and definitely not one
to be afraid to use his wit and sense of humour to shake up a situation.
Both of them passed away within two days of each other in January of 2021,
and I miss them. I’m excited to honour their legacy in the weeks ahead.

Thank you all for your support - of me over many years, and for this latest
campaign.

Sincerely,

Brent
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