Last year, together we raised $7.5MImagine what we can do with you

Introducing the Make Happy Tummies™ Gala—the next chapter of Canada's premier grocery industry celebration.

Make Happy Tummies Gala
Save The Date:
January 30, 2027
Make Happy Tummies Store Fundraiser
Make Happy Tummies National Campaign
Returning January 2027

Nearly 50 Years of Leadership

For nearly 50 years, The Grocery Foundation has united Canada's grocery industry around one shared purpose: ensuring children have the nourishment they need to learn grow and thrive.

One in Three Children Goes to School Hungry

One in three children in Canada arrives at school hungry*. Behind every statistic is a child trying to learn on an empty stomach.

Turning Collective Action Into Lasting Impact

Through Make Happy Tummies™, retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and foodservice partners are turning collective action into measurable impact for children and communities across Canada.

A Shared Purpose for an Entire Industry

Our ambition is to unite our industry and partners across Canada and become the defining purpose platform for our industry.

Join Us

Partnership opportunities for the 2027 Make Happy Tummies™ National Campaign and Gala are now open. We'd love to explore how your organization can be part of what's next.

Introducing the Make Happy Tummies Gala

Certificate Presentation

The Impact We're Making Together

Every Partnership Creates Impact

Every partnership helps ensure more children across Canada have access to the nutritious food they need to learn, grow and succeed.

$7.5M+ Raised

Through the 2026 Make Happy Tummies™ National Campaign and Gala

3M+ Meals Supported

Helping children start the day nourished, ready to learn and ready to thrive

3,000+ Student Nutrition Programs

Supporting children and communities across Canada

Growing National Impact

From grocery stores to restaurants, workplaces and communities nationwide

Every partnership helps ensure more children across Canada have access to the nutritious food they need to learn, grow, and thrive

Become a Partner

Experience the Movement

From the excitement of the Make Happy Tummies™ National Campaign to the energy of the Gala, see how Canada's grocery industry came together for a record-breaking year to create lasting impact for children.

Watch the 2026 Highlight Reel

$
7.5
M+ Raised

Through the 2026 Make happy Tummies National Campaign and Gala

3M+ Meals
Supported

Helping children start the day nourished and ready to learn.

*2026 Gala and Campaign

We currently support
3,000
+
Programs

across Canada

Learn More

Fueling change through Food Service at Stacked Pancake & Breakfast House
100,000
+ Meals

Nutritious Meals made possible through Stacked Pancake & Breakfast House*

Coming Soon - Details of the Back to School Campaign

*based on cumulative campaigns 2023, 2024, 2025

Make Happy Tummies on the MR MIKES menu
50,000
+ Meals

Through campaigns at MR MIKES SteakhouseCasual

Visit MR MIKES to support Make Happy Tummies year round

See the Impact
Close to Home

The children and schools we support aren't somewhere else—they're in communities across Canada.

Enter your postal code to discover the breakfast programs your support helps nourish and see the impact being made where your employees live, your customers shop, and children need it most.

Find Impact Near You

Two Girls eating watermelon

Building Something Bigger Together

Joe Fusco

Leading Together

Behind every child who starts the day nourished is a community of organizations choosing to lead.

Make Happy Tummies™ is how. This year-round purpose platform includes our national Campaign, the Make Happy Tummies™ Gala, and year-round partnership opportunities that help organizations engage employees, inspire customers, strengthen communities, and invest in Canada's future.

Legacy is not defined by standing still—it is defined by building forward. Joe Fusco
Board Chair, The Grocery Foundation
Senior Vice President, Metro Ontario

Be Part of the Legacy

The leaders below represent a selection of CEOs from across Canada's grocery and food industry who are helping advance The Grocery Foundation's mission. Discover why they believe our industry can create lasting impact together. Meet some of the industry leaders helping drive our mission forward.

Luc L'Archevêque
Luc L'ArchevêqueChief Customer Officer, Chief Customer Officer of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc.

Sobeys is proud to stand with an industry that has, for nearly five decades, come together through The Grocery Foundation to support Canadian communities and deliver meaningful national impact our teams can believe in and be proud of. As Make Happy Tummies™ continues to scale, we see real momentum building across the country—bringing together retailers, vendors, and Canadians in a growing national movement with clear purpose, visibility, and energy. This is more than a platform for participation—it is a platform for leadership, collaboration, and culture, where companies can connect directly with Canadians while strengthening engagement and pride within their own teams. We are inviting our partners and vendors to move with us into this next chapter—helping turn everyday business into lasting impact for children across Canada through a national platform built on purpose, participation, and momentum.

Jamie Nelson
Jamie NelsonPresident, Pattison Food Group

Our commitment to supporting our communities is at the heart of Make Happy Tummies. When our industry unites around this shared purpose, we amplify our collective impact and create real change, one child at a time. We truly believe in Make Happy Tummies, and partnering with us offers brands a powerful opportunity to come to life in our stores while standing with us in caring for communities, together.

Joe Fusco
Joe FuscoSenior Vice President, Metro Ontario, The Grocery Foundation Board Chair

For decades, our industry has come together around a shared purpose, and many of us remember when this night was known simply as GIFT. Others have known it as Night to Nurture. Each name reflects a moment in our journey and the generations who helped build it. The Make Happy Tummies™ Gala is our future, honouring our legacy while capturing the heart of what our industry stands for—nourishing children and strengthening communities.

Deb Craven
Deb CravenPresident Longo’s

For the last 70 years, our Longo’s story has been rooted in family, community, and a deep commitment to caring for others. We believe food is more than nourishment - it is connection, dignity, and a foundation for well-being. Through Make Happy Tummies™, we’re seeing a powerful national movement take shape. Since the early years of the Grocery Foundation, we have always appreciated the opportunity to bring together retailers, partners, and customers to ensure children across Canada have the food they need to thrive. As this momentum grows, so does the opportunity to work more closely with our partners so we can turn everyday moments in our stores into lasting impact for families across the country. We’re inviting our partners to lead with us by bringing Make Happy Tummies™ to life across our industry and helping scale this national movement for children and families.

Hardeep Kharaud
Hardeep KharaudSenior Vice President, Food Basics

There are a lot of children who come to school hungry, and together we are making a real and measurable impact on a big issue. To me, it is so important to give back. Make Happy Tummies is a great demonstration of what we can do together and the impact we can have at scale. Retailers and CPGs coming together is so important to help. This is a great opportunity. If you are not a partner today, I invite you to join us—because the more we come together, the more we can help children

Making Every Gathering Matter and Happy

What began with Canada's grocery industry through our industry Gala and Make Happy Tummies™ National Campaign continues to grow in exciting and fun ways.

Today, community-minded organizations like MR MIKES Steakhouse Casual and Stacked Pancake & Breakfast House are bringing Make Happy Tummies™ to more tables across Canada—creating new ways for families and friends to come together over a meal while helping nourish children in their local communities.

Follow Make Happy Tummies™ to discover featured partners, special promotions and new ways to support Make Happy Tummies™ throughout the year.

Become a Partner

As part of our 50th anniversary and Better for All commitment, the UNFI Foundation was proud to award a $50,000 grant to The Grocery Foundation in support of Make Happy Tummies, helping advance student nutrition initiatives across Canada.

Canada's Grocery Industry. One Day of Purpose:
Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2026

Every year, Giving Tuesday inspires millions of Canadians to give back.

Our ambition is to unite Canada's grocery industry around one shared purpose—every child in Canada starts the day nourished and ready to learn.

Join retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, foodservice organizations and partners from across Canada as we work together to make GivingTuesday our industry's defining day of purpose.

Learn How Your Organization Can Participate

Every partnership helps ensure more children start the day nourished, ready to learn and ready to thrive.

Partnership opportunities for the 2027 Make Happy Tummies™ National Campaign and Gala are now open. Whether you're looking to engage employees, inspire customers, strengthen your community investment strategy or build a purpose-driven partnership with Canada's grocery industry, we'd love to explore what's possible together.

Together, we can nourish children and communities across Canada.

Explore Partnership Opportunities

Speak with our Partnership Team

1. Donation to Make Happy Tummies benefit partners, Student Nutrition Ontario, Breakfast Club of Canada, and programs they oversee. The application varies by province, as noted, and various schools, school boards, and organizations by province as noted:
BC – Combination school boards, individual schools
AB – Combination school boards, individual schools
SK - Combination school boards, individual schools
MB – Individual schools
ON – Individual schools, local organization
NB – Provincial Program
NS - Provincial Program
PE – Individual schools
NL - Individual schools
YT – Territorial Program

1 in 3 Children Arrive at School Hungry.*
Help us nourish them.

* 1 in 3 children in Canada say they are feeling hungry when arriving at school almost every day. Source: Breakfast Club of Canada

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