School Breakfast Program

Our partners going above and beyond to help student nutrition programs.

$5M in savings to student nutrition programs

3.7M healthy meals provided to kids

"Our school’s breakfast program has used The Grocery Foundation’s Vouchers for several years in an effort to reduce our food costs and maximize what we can offer to our students. With a growing demand for the breakfast program at our school, as well as rising food costs, finding ways to stretch the budget has gone a long way towards ensuring we are meeting the needs of our students."High School Teacher, Ottawa
"The vouchers have made a huge difference for us to be able to purchase fresh produce and fruit to provide to our student body. As times have been tough for so many and grocery cost on the rise this has provided us the ability to get fruit and veggies into the stomachs of our students, most of them who would otherwise not have the opportunity to get this type of nutrition. Thank you!"Food & Friends Program Coordinator, Orangeville
"We have found that the cost of fruits and dairy products to be extremely expensive due to the higher markups on produce. These vouchers have helped us out tremendously in terms of having us use less of our breakfast budget. In addition, we are able to provide fruits and veggies - which we normally have to wait for to go on sale - all year around. Thanks again for providing these vouchers."Elementary School Office Administrator, Ottawa
"The use of vouchers for our Snack Program has helped our students immensely! The vouchers have helped provide nutritious fruits, vegetables, cheese and crackers that our students enjoy each day! When students have full tummies, they are able to be at school and do their best learning. Thank you for helping us to support our students and families."

What is the School Breakfast Program?

Student nutrition programs in schools across Ontario are striving to plan healthy meals and provide food to students. Having food in their tummies allows kids to learn by improving focus and concentration.

We know these programs are stretched for dollars. Our fundraising is one way we help them, but it’s not the only way.

The Grocery Foundation offers a program to Student Nutrition Programs (currently in Ontario only) whereby designated members of the program team apply for and receive vouchers which these student nutrition leaders then use during their visits to participating grocery stories to obtain a range of healthy products for less than if they were to purchase them ‘off the shelf’. With the generous cooperation of our retailer and manufacturer partners who participate in this program, we’re able to help lower the cost of purchasing healthy items and the related savings means more children can be fed.

The School Breakfast Program has delivered $5M in savings to student nutrition programs. That figure represents an additional 3.7M healthy meals provided to kids!

Participating Retailers & Companies

Questions About Vouchers? Contact Us

 

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.