To increase access to infant nutrition and care items for families, the Manitoba government is investing $300,000 through the Mino’Ayaawag Ikwewag: All Women Doing Well strategy.
“Ensuring every child can access healthy food while they grow is critical to long-term health and development,” said Nahanni Fontaine, minister responsible for women and gender equity. “This funding will help families, particularly Indigenous families, access the nutrition and support they need in these important first years of life, so babies can grow up strong, nurtured and resilient.”
The given funding will support Harvest Manitoba through the First Steps Infant Care program. The program gives children under the age of two, diapers, baby cereal, baby food, and infant formula at no cost to the family.
2,000 babies are impacted by the program monthly and 130 community agencies provincewide are supported, including northern and remote communities, through partnerships with Nutrition North Canada.
“Those first months and years of a child’s life are so important, yet for many families the cost of basic baby items can create financial strain and enormous stress,” said Vince Barletta, president and CEO, Harvest Manitoba. “This support from the Manitoba government will help ensure that babies have access to the nutrition and care they need, while easing a significant burden for parents during a time that should be focused on bonding with their child. We’re deeply grateful for this investment in Manitoba’s youngest and in the families who are doing their best to give them a strong start.”
The funding advances Pillar Four of the Mino’Ayaawag Ikwewag: All Women Doing Well strategy which emphasizes food security.
“Indigenous families often face additional barriers to accessing healthy food, including poverty, transportation challenges and the lasting impacts of colonial policies that disrupted traditional food systems and community supports. By strengthening access to infant care items at no cost to families, this investment will help to reduce structural barriers that disproportionately affect Indigenous families,” the minister noted.
The funds will also support Pathways Forward: Manitoba’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. The project prioritizes groups at vulnerable transition points, including babies and children zero to five years old, beginning in the prenatal period.
For more information can be found here about Harvest Manitoba’s First Steps Infant Care program.
