Feed Nova Scotia feels the government is growing with the introduction of a 25 per cent refundable food bank tax credit for farmers, that will cost an estimated $300,000.

Nick Jennery, the executive director of the charitable organization, says it means more opportunities for fresh food for the 44,000 registered with food banks in the province.

"We know that farmers are sometimes faced with surplus product,” said Jennery. “What this does is provide those farmers with an incentive to donate the product, as opposed to plow it under or find its way to a landfill. So this is going to help some very hungry people."

The executive director of the Nova Scotia College of Early Childhood Education says she's delighted to hear $6.6 million will be used to support childcare centres and increase wage grants for early childhood educators.

"Hopefully it will make childcare, quality childcare, more affordable and accessible for families,” said executive director Jane Cawley. “It will subsidize wages, so that the issues of recruitment and retainment, and retention are improved in the province."

Last month, a report on childcare revealed Nova Scotia’s early childhood educators have the lowest wages in the country.

"We cannot sit back and say that problem is over,” said Cawley. “We need to continue to advocate for professionalism, which is often achieved through higher wages."

Another surprise for some was an increase to income assistance by $20 per month.

“We had the minister of the department of community services, Joanne Bernard, tell the media last summer that there would be no increase for possibly two years. So, the fact that they increased the personal allowance is a welcome surprise, I guess you could say,” said community legal worker and anti-poverty advocate Fiona Traynor.

Traynor says the increase isn’t the best, but it’s something.

"When you're receiving $255 a month, an increase of $20 is an increase of $20. So it might allow you to buy a few more loafs of bread,” said Traynor.

Traynor says what the government needs to do is concentrate on improving the income assistance program.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Amanda Debison.