by Elizabeth from Frugal Mom Eh
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When we think of childhood hunger, I think most of us tend to think of children in developing countries. Yet Children right here in Canada go hungry all the time too! Every day children go to bed hungry, wake up hungry and even wonder where their next meal will come from.
The Grocery Foundation and Toonies for Tummies are dedicated to making sure no child goes hungry. By utilizing programs already in place in our schools, and donations from the local community it is their goal to see that every child is given enough food to not only survive but thrive.
Community partnership and donations are a key part of this process.
Ontario's Student Nutrition Program is one way that children in our communities are being taken care of. Nutritious breakfasts, snack and lunch programs are provided at many schools across Ontario.
The Breakfast Club of Canada is another great organization that is currently providing nutritious breakfasts before school to children in across Canada. The Breakfast Club also has an excellent training program called Breakfast Makes Me Shine that helps teach volunteers how to shape children not only physically with healthy foods, but also with great encouragement to help boost their self-esteem. Thanks to the Breakfast Club, over 1,328 schools across Canada have impacted 152,000 students by providing them with a nutritious breakfast each morning before classes start.
These programs have a direct impact on the type of people the children in our communities grow up to be. Educators and physicians have proven that proper nutrition have a lot to do with a child and their success in school. Statistics show that 4 million individuals in Canada each year suffer from some level of food insecurity. That statistic includes up to 1.5 million children. Absolutely heartbreaking.
With 1 in 6 children facing hunger each day, your $2 donation to Toonies for Tummies can quickly and easily provide a child with nutritious foods that will fuel their bodies and their brains.
Many families plan and budget for their meals throughout the week. If you can budget in breakfast for your own children, you can find a way to add just $2 a week to your budget to donate to Toonies for Tummies and provide another child with a nutrient dense meal.
Think about the dull ache in your stomach when you wake up hungry. Can you imagine waking up each day as a child and feeling that pain, knowing you are likely to go 12 hours or more before eating? What if it was your own kid’s friends going hungry and feeling that ache every day? Your donation can make a huge impact not only on a stranger’s life, but potentially the child you wave hello to as you drop your child off at school each day.
We can change the world together by helping the most vulnerable in our communities.
After all, real community begins when we take even just the smallest steps to positively impact the lives of those around us.
Just think. By donating to feed hungry children in your community, you are directly impacting their chance of finding success in the future and to reach their full potential. Helping those in your community who are affected by food insecurity is one step toward building the community and world you dream of for yourself and your family.
