Feeding Hungry Children

During the school year

Recently, we were able to confirm the total donations resulting from the 2020 Toonies for Tummies campaign, which shoppers in Ontario and Western Canada embraced.

We’re incredibly grateful to all of you for making a donation and helping us achieve a staggering $2.5M. On behalf of the over 1 million hungry children, thank you! Your donations are more critical than ever as it’s expected the need stands to grow once school resumes.

Our 2020 campaign took place January – March. At this time, schools were still open and donations from the 2019 campaign were being actively deployed by our partners Student Nutrition Ontario (ON) and Breakfast Club of Canada (Western Canada). In anticipation of even more hungry children come the fall, the plan is to have the 2020 donations flow to schools in the fall when school resumes. This is consistent with all past campaigns. Suffice it to say, hunger has, is and will continue to be one of the most pressing issues we can collectively alleviate.

In the coming weeks, we will be able to provide more information on the donation breakout and how it will benefit local communities. In the meantime, in case you missed them, here are the donations from the 2019 campaign.

Thanks to you, 2020 was a record-breaking campaign

Feeding Hungry Children

During COVID-19

At the same time, with Covid-19 and schools being closed, many children who depend on school nutrition programs require assistance now.

The Grocery Foundation and many of the companies who are part of our community are actively joining in efforts to help student nutrition programs directly, many through donations and company-led efforts all with a focus on helping get healthy foods to the children who need it now. This includes lending our resources and networks to help in a time of great need.

Announcements regarding support are fluid and frequent. The links include a number of companies that actively support The Foundation, including participating as current Board Members. They are among the many companies that are helping during these unprecedented times.

You may wish to follow their announcements and learn about their individual responses through the links provided through the links provided here.

We will also continue to keep you apprised of incremental efforts in the days and weeks ahead.

Shaun McKenna
Executive Director
The Grocery Foundation

RESOURCES & companies

TOGETHER, GROCERY FOUNDATION BOARD MEMBER COMPANIES ANNOUNCE INCREMENTAL DONATIONS

In addition to previously announced company-specific corporate donations, current Foundation retailer and manufacturer companies have announced further support for hungry children through an incremental $475,000 donation. A combination of grants, grocery gift cards, product coupons and vouchers for healthy breakfast items are making their way to the 14 student nutrition lead agencies across the province of Ontario.

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.