Your Toonies for Tummies Donations Are Back to School!

The February #Toonies4Tummies campaign seems a long way off from the first day of school, but here at The Grocery Foundation we see first hand how...

The February #Toonies4Tummies campaign seems a long way off from the first day of school, but here at The Grocery Foundation we see first hand how the donations made in participating grocery stores make an impact year-long. This week, as tens of thousands of children make their way back to school, many are sitting down to enjoy a nutritious start to their day or mid-morning snack, thanks to your donations.

Some of you track your toonie during the campaign seeing firsthand local programs that benefit from your donations -- which you can do by entering your postal code via the Toonies for Tummies website.

Track your Toonie

But with back to school and students' success on our collective minds, we thought there's no better time to remind you how important your donations are and just how much of an impact we're having in local communities across Ontario.

Earlier this year, (February 2016) we asked you to support Toonies and you did, resoundingly! 100% of the donations collected at participating Metro, Food Basics, Longo's and participating independents as well as online are now hard at work helping ensuring school-aged children have access to nutritious meals and snacks enabled by approved programs that are part of the province-wide Ontario Student Nutrition Program Network.

Take a look below at how your donations are helping tens of thousands of children. Thank you again for supporting Toonies for Tummies, and congratulations to all the returning students. We wish you a wonderful year! Toonies for Tummies returns this coming February 9-23, 2017. Stay tuned for more information.

Regions in Ontario who benefit for Toonies for Tummies donations

Donations from 2016 Toonies for Tummies Campaign

Name of the Lead Agency - OSNPN

Number of Schools who benefitted in the region

Algoma 

 $14,875 Algoma Family Services Number of schools: 26 Algoma District (Sault Ste. Marie, Central, East and North Algoma)

Central East 

 $87,375 Peterborough Family Resource Centre Number of schools: 106 Durham, Haliburton, Northumberland, Peterborough, Simcoe, City of Kawartha Lakes, York

Central West 

 $109,225 Kitchener-Waterloo YMCA Number of schools: 105 Wellington/Dufferin/Guelph; Halton; Peel; Waterloo

Eastern 

 $40,525 Upper Canada Leger Centre for Education and Training Number of schools: 63 Renfrew County, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, Prescott, Russell, Leeds and Grenville

Hamilton-Niagara 

 $42,350 Haldimand-Norfolk Number of schools: 66 Brantford, Haldimand/Norfolk, Hamilton, Niagara

North East 

 $8,150 Community Living North Bay Number of schools: 38 Nipissing, Parry Sound, Muskoka

Ottawa 

 $91,400 Ottawa Network for Education Number of schools: 155 Ottawa

Southeast 

 $31,450 The Hastings and Prince Edward Learning Foundation Number of schools: 37 Hastings, Kingston, Frontenac, Belleville, Lanark, Lennox & Addington, Prince Edward County

Southwest 

 $67,375 VON Number of schools: 149 Counties of Middlesex, Oxford, Elgin, Huron, Bruce, Perth, Grey, Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent, Lambton

Northern, Sudbury & Manitoulin Districts 

 $14,325 Better Beginnings Better Futures Number of schools: 32 Sudbury and Manitoulin Districts

Thunder Bay 

 $5,275 Canadian Red Cross, Thunder Bay Number of schools: 21 Thunder Bay and District

North East

 $8,050 Canadian Red Cross, Timmins & District Arial Number of schools: 26 Timmins

Toronto

 $93,350 Toronto Foundation for Student Success Number of schools: 53 Toronto

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Help Us Make Breakfast a Reality for a Hungry Child

Chasing dreams should be part of every child’s day. Going without breakfast shouldn’t be.

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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.