Northern Fruit & Vegetable Program | Thunder Bay District Health Unit

The Northern Fruit and Vegetable Program (NFVP) is serving fresh fruit and vegetables to elementary students in the District of Thunder Bay! Since 2006, the NFVP has been wildly successful with children in the northeastern region of Ontario, and as of May 2018, the program expanded to our region.

The NFVP is a food literacy program that aims to increase consumption and awareness of fruits and vegetables, as well as provide eating and physical activity education resources, to school-aged children from JK to Grade 8 in northern Ontario. The goal is to positively influence children and build a strong foundation to live a healthy lifestyle.

Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and distributed by the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association this program provides students from JK to grade 8 weekly deliveries of one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables for each student starting November 2022 through until June 2023.

Close to 14,000 students in over 80 schools from Thunder Bay to Manitouwadge to Fort Severn and every elementary school in between will be enjoying fresh fruit and veggies during the winter and spring months!

NEW! A 4-week physical activity challenge, Walk Broc and Roll, created to support youth (JK – Grade 8) to develop positive relationships with food and physical activity will be piloted in a handful of schools in November – December 2022. This challenge also includes take-home food literacy activities for students and their families. Stay tuned for more info!

To the left you will find information and resources to help integrate the NFVP into your school from in school food literacy activities, to storage recommendations for NFVP deliveries in school.

Participating Schools

The 2022/2023 program will include service to all of these schools, beginning November 2022 until June 2023:

Participating Schools


First Nation Community Schools	Aglace Chapman Education Centre – Kitchenuhamaykoosib Inninuwug Biigtigong Nishnaabeg Endzhi Gkinoomadig - Biigtigong Nishnaabeg First Nation Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek School – Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek First Nation John C. Yesno Education Centre – Eabametoong First Nation Johnny Therriault Memorial School – Aroland First Nation Mary Ann Aganash Memorial School – Kingfisher Lake Fist Nation Neskantaga Education Centre – Neskantaga First Nation Nibinamik Education Centre – Nibinamik First Nation Reverend Eleazar Winter Memorial School – Wapekeka First Nation Simon Jacob Memorial Centre – Webequie First Nation St. Ann – Fort William First Nation Wasaho First Nation School – Fort Severn First Nation
Lakehead Public School Board	Algonquin Avenue School Armstrong Elementary School C.D. Howe School Claude E. Garton School Crestview School École Elsie MacGill School École Gron Morgan School Five Mile School Gorham and Ware School Kakabeka Falls Public School Kingsway Park School McKellar Park School McKenzie Public School Nor'westerview School Ogden Community School Sherbrooke School St. James School Valley Central School Vance Chapman School Westmount School Whitefish School Woodcrest School
Thunder Bay District Catholic School Board	Bishop E.Q. Jennings Senior Elementary Bishop Gallagher Senior Elementary Corpus Christi School Holy Cross School Our Lady of Charity School Pope John Paul II Senior Elementary (Gr 7/8) St. Ann School St. Ann School (FWFN Satellite Site) St. Bernard School St. Elizabeth School St. Francis School St. Jude School St. Margaret School St. Martin School St. Paul School St. Pius X School St. Thomas Aquinas School St. Vincent School
Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boréales	École catholique Franco-Terrace École Notre-Dame-de-Fatima École catholique Val-des-Bois École secondaire catholique de la Vérendrye École St-Joseph Notre-Dame-des-Écoles
Keewatin-Patricia District School Board	Upsala Public School
Superior-Greenstone District School Board	B.A. Parker Public School Beardmore Public School Dorion Public School George O’Neill Public School Manitouwadge Public School Margaret Twomey Public School Marjorie Mills Public School Nakina Public School Schreiber Public School Terrace Bay Public School
Superior North Catholic District School Board	Holy Angels Catholic School Holy Saviour Catholic School Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School St. Edward Catholic School St. Hilary Catholic School St. Joseph Catholic School St. Martin Catholic School
Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario	École publique Franco-Manitou

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the school responsible for covering the cost of food preparation and serving (e.g. napkins, knives, etc.)?

No. Each school board/authority receives funding that is allocated to each school. All costs for supplies for the program should be covered.

Do I need training to run the program in my school?

Funding is provided to train one person at each school to receive the Safe Food Handling Certificate, preferably the School NFVP Coordinator. To learn more please email NFVP@tbdhu.com.

Who do I contact if there is an issue with food shipment (e.g. incorrect quantity)?

Call (807) 625-5962 or email NFVP@tbdhu.com.

Does every student complete an evaluation?

No. With parental/guardian consent, students from Grade 5 - 8 complete a short, 15-minute post-program survey at school in June. The survey measures the change in children’s attitude and behaviour toward produce, and their fruit and vegetable knowledge.

Who is involved with the NFVP program?

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit (TBDHU) works in collaboration with the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA) and the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) to bring NFVP to your school.

For Further Information

If you have a question, please contact Victoria Pullia, Program Lead, at (807) 625-5962 or Toll-Free at 1-888-294-6630 or email NFVP@tbdhu.com.