Breakfast Club of Canada faces increase in needs, launches new campaign

Many breakfast clubs across the nation help children access the most important meal of the day, including the Breakfast Club of Canada.

Their new campaign: Fuelling the future with a nutritious breakfast.

Launched on Nov. 13, the campaign will run until Dec. 31 — highlighting the “importance of nourishing the potential of tomorrow’s adults, especially in a difficult current economic context.”

In Quebec, over 70 schools in highly vulnerable areas are on a waiting list for a breakfast program.

“Knowing that kids will have access to nutritious food,” said Claudine Dessureault, Senior Purchasing and Inventory Advisor at Breakfast Club of Canada. “They’ll be ready to learn and develop their full potential.”

The Breakfast Club of Canada says inflation is putting a strain on operation — with increased food costs, transportation, and more.

“Price of the product has increased with the inflation,” adds Dessureault.

However, the organization adds that they are maintaining existing programs, ensuring a nutritious diet for children across the country. 

They hope their campaign ahead of the holidays will bring in donations.

A way to aid the non-profit as attendance in their existing programs is on the rise.

“As you can see here there’s a lot of pallets,” explained Dessureault in a Breakfast Club of Canada’s warehouse on the South Shore of Montreal. “We deliver around 160 and to 180 schools every week.”

And that’s just for Quebec.

The Club began in 1994 with one school in the province — today, they help reach over 420,000 children in more than 3,000 school nutrition programs across Canada.

The non-profit says it now serves double the number of children in recent years.

At the end of October, the federal government released a report summarizing feedback from consultations with school communities, children, youth, and more regarding food programs in schools.

Saying that this input will help the government develop a national school food policy — tackling food insecurity in Canada — a promise the Liberal government made two years ago.

“Every breakfast is made with one of the products of the three food categories of the Canadian Food Guide,” said Dessureault. “There will always be a fruit and veggie, there will always be a whole grain and a protein product.”

The campaign is on until Dec. 31.

And a way Canadians can support: donating through their website.

“Knowing that you are making a difference every day,” added Dessureault. “That’s a very powerful motivation.”