The Grocery Foundation’s Toonies for Tummies #Toonies4Tummies

Over the years I have figured out my own tricks to get my children to eat breakfast before they go to school. Some days they will have something they can grab and eat on the bus. Other days a bowl of cereal or if I have time, pancakes and bacon. Breakfast as we all know is the most important meal of the day. It fuels our bodies and our minds and gives us what we need to get through the day. This is especially important for children who are growing and learning and needing extra energy while at school. Sadly not everyone has the luxury of a good breakfast and their days reflect this.

give a toonie

According to the Daily Bread Food Bank, food bank client have, on average, $6.67 per day after rent is paid for everything else including clothing, transportation AND food. This leaves very little for extras. Over the years my children have come home and told me about friends who were at school hungry with no lunches. When the school allows it (some do not) my children have shared meals with their friends to help them get through the day. Canada is the only G8 country without a national school-based feeding program!

As a mom and member of the community I am grateful for Toonies for Tummies Did you know that your support of the Grocery Foundation helps Student Nutrition Programs from all over Ontario?! Including 102 school breakfast and snack programs in Nipissing, Parry Sound and Muskoka! This way students have the food and nutrition they need to help fuel their bodies and minds throughout the day. Having witnessed these programs first hand in my children’s schools they are very laid back and welcome all. Students who need to grab a snack can go into the room where this is held and take what they need/want. There are no questions and no judgement, just support and kindness.


Last year during Toonies for Tummies, with your help, they raised over $923,000 for local nutritional programs in Ontario. These programs will help ensure children have access to healthy breakfast meals, mid-morning meals and snacks as well as snacks after school. Not knowing what students have to go home to, the after school snack programs are critical.

Toonies 4 tummies Infographic

The Grocery Foundation will be kicking off their 2016 Toonies for Tummies campaign in Ontario February 4-18, 2016. When you check out at participating grocery stores you will be given an option to donate a toonie to help with this great program. 100% of the money donated at the cash register and online for#‎Toonies4Tummies goes to helping kids and youth in Ontario, helping ensure they have the necessary nutrition to focus on school and have the physical stamina to be healthy and active.

Toonies for Tummies partners

Recently I had the opportunity to chat with one of the student ambassadors who will be presenting at The Agents of Change School Nutrition Summit. Each youth Ambassador will make a presentation to members of the food industry, including sponsors of the 2016 Toonies for Tummies Campaign and retailer partners. These presentations will be focused on offering insights and recommendations to the food industry centred on engaging youth in the topic of school nutrition.

Meet Kristen from North Hastings High School.

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What are your thoughts on Student Nutrition and its impact?

I believe that Student Nutrition is extremely important as I believe in ‘in order for children to learn well, they need to eat well’. How incredibly difficult it is to try to focus and succeed academically if you are hungry and have low energy as a result. I think that we are so fortunate to have our nutritional programs in place as we do as students are given the opportunity to have a complete and nutritional meal to help start off their day. No matter how each students day starts at home everyone has the right to a healthy breakfast as it is key to allowing all students to benefit and engage in their learning journey. Student Nutrition has a huge impact on student success and the relation between the two go hand in hand.

Tell me about your presentation at the Summit and what you see when it comes to engaging other students in the topic of student nutrition

At the summit, my focus will be on changing the stigma around our Nutritional Programs. In my experience I have found that it is the belief of many students that the programs are in place solely for the students who can’t get a breakfast at home when in fact it is the goal for all students to benefit from these programs whether it be you slept in and had to skip breakfast or just ran out of cereal for the morning. I want all students and the community to know that these programs are there to benefit all students that it possibly can. We are so lucky to have them and it is important for use to come from them.

What do you think when you hear 1 in 6 children are going to school hungry?

When I hear that 1 in 6 children are going to school hungry it just makes me want to share the news of our nutritional programs even more. It is awful to know that students have to endure a day without proper nutrition, but that is why we have implemented these programs and I want Nutritional Program awareness so that all students know that healthy foods are available to everyone and anyone who needs them. I believe that if we spread the news of these programs they will have a much greater impact and be able to reach these hungry students.

What do you think about the fact that the food industry and people who run student nutrition programs are hoping to engage youth?

I think that the fact food industries and people who run student nutritional programs are trying to engage youth is amazing. I myself have volunteered at the breakfast programs within schools and it is so rewarding and opened my eyes to the work that goes into these programs as well as the importance of them. The youth is also the future and for our future of these programs to be bright engaging youth is crucial. Engaging youth will also have an impact on changing the stigma towards food programs, if it is the youth that is helping to promote our programs. It is our youth that is so greatly benefiting in these programs so I can only imagine how much more they will flourish and continue to grow if our youth is involved.

Please join us at the #Toonies4Tummies Twitter chat Tuesday Feb 2nd (TODAY) at 1pm EST and 9pm EST to learn more

Hosts @ShashersLife and @GroceryFndtn

tft-chat

Let’s all do what we can to support our youth and donate today ! www.tooniesfortummies.ca

 

This post has been brought to you in partnership with The Grocery Foundation, as always all opinions are my own  

Comments

  1. Robin Rue (masshole Mommy) says

    This is such a great campaign. I will try to make it to the twitter chat.

  2. Child and youth hunger is such a pressing problem that so many people aren’t aware of. I am glad that there are people and organizations taking steps to help solve this issue.

  3. I didn’t know that Canada was the only G8 country that didn’t have a national school-based feeding program. Being a Canadian that makes me disappointed in our government. All children should have access to nutritious food, especially breakfast, without the responsibility falling to the school. Toonie For Tummies is great and I will be donating to help feed our children.

  4. This is such a problem here too! There is a lady that single handedly started something to feed all the kids on the weekends.

  5. This is such a great program! We have something kind of similar here and it helps so many needy children with meals.

  6. I feel sad every time I hear news about hungry children. This is a great campaign. It’s good to know that there are organizations like this to help them.

  7. Toonies for Tummies sounds like a fantastic program. It is terrible that there are hungry kids out there when our society wastes so much food everyday.

  8. This is such a big problem, I am so glad that there is a program out there to help those poor hungry kids who might have nowhere else to turn. Cheers Tooneis for Tummies!

  9. This is so important to bring more light to. What a great program to share.

  10. Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says

    It’s a tragedy when kids go hungry! We all need to help out!

  11. I can’t believe that are still children without food, that makes me sad. Glad you are having a discussion about it and bringing awareness to it!

  12. Any company that helps those in need is awesome! That is quite the pretty penny to have raised!

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