When Food Bloggers of Canada was approached about supporting the Toonies For Tummies campaign led by The Grocery Foundation, the answer was a very quick and resounding "yes!" As an organization which promotes and supports the efforts of Canadian food bloggers, our decision was an easy one to make. Not to simplify what we do as food bloggers, but we essentially prepare food or eat out, photograph it and share it. There's obviously more to it than that, but when you get right down to it, that's what we do. And whether you're creating decadent cakes or blogging about eating for under $10 a day, it's still a luxury.
The numbers are staggering, one out of every six (1/6) Canadian children goes to school hungry. The Toonies For Tummies program is to help those children who don't have the "luxury" to start their day with breakfast. The Toonies for Tummies campaign raises funds for Breakfast for Learning and the Breakfast Club of Canada. And all it takes is $2 to make a difference.
From February 6 – 20, 2014 you can donate $2 in store at several supermarkets across Ontario and the Atlantic provinces. 100% of the funds collections will be donated to these breakfast programs, which provide nutritious meals to children in schools around participating stores. The goal of this campaign is to raise $1 million during this 2-week period. In 2013, funding from Breakfast for Learning and Breakfast Clubs of Canada provided support for 355,000 children between the ages of 4 and 18 benefiting from school-nutrition programs coast to coast. The average cost of a nutritious breakfast provided by these programs is just under $2.00 according to Breakfast Club of Canada and Breakfast for Learning, Canada’s two largest national organizations which combined helped serve 56 million meals and snacks.
How You Can Help
- Watch the Little Change, Big Change video here and donate online.
- Donate $2 in-store during the campaign period.
Participating stores in Ontario and Atlantic Canada:
- Colemans
- Co-op Atlantic
- Food Basics
- Foodland
- Freshco
- Galati Market Fresh
- Highland Farms
- Longo’s
- Metro Ontario
- Michael Angelo’s
- Price Chopper
- Rabba Fine Foods
- Sobeys and more than 100 independent stores across Ontario and Atlantic Canada
Promote Awareness:
- Start and keep the conversation going on Facebook and Twitter (#Toonies4Tummies)
- Share the campaign badge on Facebook and encourage others to donate.
- Pin the infographic below and encourage others to donate.
Be sure to also check out the posts about Toonies for Tummies by Shareba of In Search of Yummy-ness and Jenny The Brunette Baker.
About the Grocery Foundation:
The Grocery Foundation is an Ontario-based not-for-profit, representing leaders from Canada’s grocery industry. It was established in 1979 to enrich the lives and well-being of children; providing them a hand up so they can learn and succeed. To date the Grocery Foundation has raised in excess of $75 million which has gone towards over 250 organizations across the province meeting a number of health and wellness needs including providing nutritious breakfasts and snacks for school-aged students across the province. Many Grocery Foundation companies and their employees also work as volunteers alongside countless community groups nourishing dreams, abilities and brighter futures. 2014 marks the 35th Anniversary of the Grocery Foundation. Follow them on Twitter @GroceryFndtn and @Toonies4Tummies.
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Hi, Melissa and Ethan,
Thank you for the info on Toonies for Tummies. I posted about it in my news blog. Hope it gets people to help.
http://winnipegisbetterthanchocolate.blogspot.ca/2014/02/toonies-for-tummies-l-wso-gala-martinis.html
Would there be some way to let me know about similar projects in advance? Thanks!
That’s awesome Margaret! Thank you 🙂 I think the Grocery Foundation is happy with anything they can get that helps spread the word. We can sure try to get you news of things like that in advance – one of the best ways to get a heads up is to read our Monday news posts – if we get good advance notice we often mention it there! But if we know you’re interested we’ll try and get the word out to you as well. thanks!
Thanks, Melissa.
I usually try to give about 2 weeks advance notice on things so people can plan ahead. I’m glad there’s a link at the site so people can donate after February 20.
Something has to be done to help the kids. We have a bad child poverty problem in Winnipeg, too.