Over 800,000 children without access to breakfast programs
Djeneba Dosso
Breakfast Club of Canada is calling on Canadians to donate at the outset of the new school year to provide breakfast to children at risk of going to school on an empty stomach.
“The power of breakfast cannot be underestimated,” said Tommy Kulcyzk, President and CEO of Breakfast Club of Canada, the club responsible for serving 650,000 children breakfast every morning. Despite these impressive figures, the Club is still calling on Canadians to join their movement as their recent assessment showed that there are over 800,000 children across 3,000 schools still needing breakfast programs.
“Families across Canada face difficult choices as food prices have increased by an average of over 20 per cent in the last three years,” the Club said in a press release on Tuesday. “Breakfast Club of Canada is also under increased pressure, with rising demands for new breakfast programs and higher attendance at existing ones. Consequently, expenses are outpacing revenues, limiting Breakfast Club of Canada’s ability to onboard new programs to meet demand.”
The rising cost of living and the expected 200,000 new students joining the Quebec public school network reported by the Minister of Education have pushed the Club into a tight spot, days before the beginning of classes. Despite this, Kulcyzk says they are “committed to maintaining and expanding activities to lighten the load of families” and providing nutritious food to children in school.
Reaching this goal is far from a one-man job, however, and the Club is now looking for assistance externally. Their initial call for help was somewhat answered by the Government of Canada who announced the investment of $1 billion over five years for the implementation of a National School Food Program (NSFP) offering breakfast, lunch and snacks to 400,000 children. While the initiative is a step in the right direction, it only caters to half of the children across the country at risk of going to school on an empty stomach. What’s more, the promise of this investment is still up in the air today, a year after its announcement, as “details and timelines” for the program have “yet to be clarified.”
“While we are pleased to see the federal government take a great step forward and be part of the solution with private and community stakeholders, as well as provincial, territorial, and Indigenous governments, the fight against school hunger is far from over,” said Judith Barry, co-founder and Government Relations Director of Breakfast Club of Canada. “The National Food School Program has yet to be implemented, and in the upcoming school year, one in three children are still at risk of going to school on an empty stomach.”
The Club, which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this fall, is now turning to Canadians in hopes of receiving enough donations to fill the large gap or at the very least, ease it. Donations can be made by texting CLUB to 20222 or online at breakfastclubcanada.org/back-to-school. As part of the Club’s fundraising campaign, they have joined forces with the MTY Foundation which will double donations up to $100,000 in order to nourish the potential leaders of tomorrow.
“A nutritious breakfast sets the tone for a child’s entire day, impacting their ability to learn, grow, and thrive,” said Kulcyzk. “Our back-to-school fundraising campaign is not just about breakfast; it’s about investing in the youth’s future.”
