Table 4.

Overall summary of positive adaptions made to the School Food Programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Themes	Ways which positive adaptations emerged across Canada
Collaborations supporting modified SFPs (ex. within community, partnering with organizations)	Donations from community members and local businesses to support preparation of fresh meals/meal kits Volunteers using their own resources and money to continue supporting small group of families who relied on SFPs pre-pandemic Support from local food banks to help keep SFPs supplied during pandemic Formation of new food programs comprised of a collection of organizations to support those struggling with food insecurity Local business owners providing food to children in need by accepting food donations from the community and preparing fresh meals Teachers delivering groceries to families in need, accepting donations from the community to fund grocery purchases Local fire department assisting with meal kit deliveries Private sector donating foods and funding to partners/organizations providing foods
Use of meal kits	Implemented to compensate for lack of fresh meals being served to students during school closures Variety of distribution methods (ex. Delivery to students directly, pick-up at school, pick-up at set distribution points in community) Variable distribution schedules (ex. Bi-weekly, weekly, monthly)
Food types included in meal kits and prepared meals	Meal kits most often contained fresh fruits and vegetables, grain products, dairy products, savory snacks, and products classified as “other” (ex. Granola bars, canned goods) Meal kits lacked sweets and desserts, as well as SSBs Most common prepared meals were sandwiches and wraps (type not usually specified)
Coupon distribution	Private sector working with the Grocery Foundation of Canada to provide private sector’s product coupons to families in need across the country
Price gouging and food affordability	Meal kits and fresh meals provided free of charge by school/organizations to students in need and their families
Flexibility of SFPs	Extra food provided in meal kits to help support families over the weekend (and beyond) Local restaurant which normally supplied lunches to one school becoming a distribution hub for meal kits to help larger group of families in the area Changing normal school meal distribution format to meal kit delivery to still provide food to families in need despite school closures Expansion of SFP into new areas to reach larger number of students and families in need Some SFPs accounted for the food preferences and dietary needs of students
Financial resources used to support continuation of SFPs during the pandemic	Donations from organizations supporting delivery of groceries to most vulnerable students and their families Community fundraisers normally held in-person moved to an online format in order to raise money for local food initiatives Members of legislative assembly (MLAs) allocating increased amounts of spending towards SFPs using emergency budget Individual members of community starting fundraisers towards helping local SFPs (ex. woman climbing mountains to raise money) Fundraisers through grocery stores used to help local schools purchase appliances, cutlery, food gift cards, etc. for cafeteria and SFP Grocery gift cards provided to vulnerable families who relied on SFPs pre-COVID 19 Government of Canada allocating immediate funding towards supporting SFPs
COVID-19 guideline adherence	Volunteer staff wearing proper PPE (ex. Face mask, gloves) when preparing and distributing prepared meals/meal kits Meal kits prepared with precautions for easy disposal and minimal contact (ex. wrappings, paper bag) Physical distancing procedures followed (ex. one person picks up meal kit from distribution location)
Novel ideas	Focusing on decentralized practices to recover economic and socialized institution practices (ex. using experiential education settings such as a farm to offer alternative teaching methods to small groups of students and provide fresh food to students and the community)

SFP, school food program.