Meet Keira, a student at Rothwell Osnabruck School in Ingleside.

Recently Crystal from< Crystal Clear as Mud had the chance to interview Keira, a student from Rothwell Osnabruck School in Ingleside, Ontario. ...

Recently Crystal from< Crystal Clear as Mud had the chance to interview Keira, a student from Rothwell Osnabruck School in Ingleside, Ontario. Back at home, Keira is making a name for herself in nutrition. She is also one of the 11 student ambassadors heading next week to the Grocery Foundation's very first Agents of Change Summit in Toronto on February 8th.

Keira noticed many of her peers were not making their own lunches, showing up at school with bags of chips and other junk foods. Last year Keira got involved in when she applied for a position as an environmental representative. As part of her interview process, she suggested the idea of starting a smoothie program. That idea came to fruition this past semester when she was gifted a Vitamix and told she had the go-ahead.

She is hoping her delicious initiative takes off and continues beyond her when she heads to University.

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We are so grateful to Canadians who support Toonies for Tummies during our annual store campaign and, year-round, online.

You may know on April 16th, the Federal Government confirmed plans to support student nutrition programs. Specifically, the budget has announced the creation of a National School Food Program, which will provide $1 billion over five years to Employment and Social Development Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada, starting in 2024‑25.

You may wonder what does this government funding mean specific to the need and our efforts to fundraise?

Without a doubt, we continue to need your support. While many student nutrition program leaders are encouraged by the incremental government support, many have taken to the news and social media to confirm even with this support, funding gaps will persist.

The Grocery Foundation's Vision, that no Canadian child goes to school hungry, remains fully intact. Our work continues and remains vital to support hungry children through their school’s student nutrition program. There is no change whatsoever in our focus, our mission, or our reliance on your support.

The programs we help fund are universal in nature. That means all children who require a healthy meal have access. Those on the front lines of these programs affirm their positive impact and positive halo beyond the day’s nutrition, from attendance, behaviours to the school community and mental health. The programs you help fund also support foundational nutrition knowledge and social skill building, as many programs include mechanisms for student involvement in menu planning, food preparation and serving of food to peers.

Thank you for choosing to support hungry children in your community, nourishing their health, well-being, academic success while fostering their school community. With your continued support, we will continue to help dreams take flight and nourish over 3,000 programs and neighbourhoods, yours among them.