Behind the scenes, volunteers work hard to organize a mid-morning meal, as it is one of many school food programs run by the community in Canada operating in the absence of a national program - a program that advocates say is urgently needed.

For her part, Janet Bolo, nutrition coordinator at St. Louis Hospital said, "It's heartbreaking when children sometimes come and say, 'Miss Bolo, I'm hungry.'"

Canada is the only country in the G7 without a national school food program or national standards, according to the Canadian Breakfast Club. This means that while each province has different needs, there is no consistent approach to student nutrition across the various existing programs.

Researchers said that because high inflation is affecting food prices, more children need access to these programs - but community groups say there needs to be stable funding from the federal government to ensure everyone can eat.

According to Statistics Canada, one in four Canadian children suffers from what is known as food insecurity – when someone is unable to access a good diet or enough food, or is uncertain of having it. Meanwhile, 33% of food bank users in Canada are children, according to Food Banks Canada.