Surrey Regional Hub

School District
36

Community Animator
surreyregion@nullfarmtoschoolbc.ca

About the Hub
Farm to School BC Surrey Hub serves principally primary and secondary schools within the Surrey School District 36 (SD36) specifically in the city of Surrey.

Between 2018 and 2021, the Public Health Association of BC and Farm to School BC rewarded K – 12 schools with 11 grants in Surrey to expand their local food initiatives and hands-on-learning activities. These projects range from outdoor gardens to indoor tower gardens.

The Surrey Regional Hub is connected to a wide range of partners and is overseen by an Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from SD 36, Fraser Health Authority, A Rocha Farm, Surrey Ecological Educators (SEED36) and DIVERSEcity community organizations. Additionally, Farm to School BC Surrey Region has a seat at the Seeds of Change Surrey (SOCS); a network of organizations carrying on food security initiatives in the city. The Surrey Hub deems it important that all facets of Surrey are represented and included in the effort to promote local and sustainable food systems.

Advisory Committee Members – Organizations

• Surrey School District 36
• Fraser Health Authority
• Surrey Ecological Educators (SEED36)
• A Rocha Farm
• DIVERSEcity

School grantees 2021

• Mary Jane Shannon Elementary (SD36)
• Simon Cunningham Elementary (SD36)
• East Kensington Elementary (SD36)
• Royal Heights Elementary (SD36)
• Pacific Academy (Independent)
• Regent Christian (Independent)

School grantees 2018

• George Vanier Elementary (SD36)
• East Kensington Elementary (SD36)
• Fleetwood Park Secondary (SD36)
• Cindrich Elementary (SD36)
• Royal Heights Elementary (SD36)

About the region

Surrey is the second-largest city in British Columbia, and currently has the largest student enrolment in British Columbia serving the cities of Surrey, White Rock, and the rural area of Barnston Island, with 104 elementary schools and 20 secondary schools. School populations in September 2020 were well over well over 70,000 in total, ranging from 86 to 938 students in elementary schools and 1,136 to 1,882 students in secondary schools. SD36 continues to grow rapidly and it is projected that 8,000 children and youth will be added to the district by 2022.

Many cultures are represented within the student population in the SD36. There are more than 3,200 students of Indigenous ancestry (First Nations, Métis and Inuit), and over half of the students attending school in the district are from a household in which a language other than English is spoken. In fact, over 150 languages are represented within the school district. Aside from English, the most commonly spoken languages include Punjabi, Tagalog (Filipino), Mandarin, Hindi and Arabic.