Toonies Buy Better Grades, Healthier Tummies

Study after study confirms what we’ve long believed: children who eat breakfast perform better at school

Numerous studies around the globe and here in Canada continue to add to the mounting body of evidence that student nutrition programs have immediate and long-term positive results.

Among the Canadian studies which have uncovered the extent of the impact is Feeding our Future, an extensive two-year study. The findings were based on 6,000 students in four middle schools (grades 6 to 8) and three secondary schools. The study found that a nutritious breakfast encourages lifelong healthy habits, improves concentration at school and boosts energy levels, which in turn can lead to better grades.

In fact, according to this study, 78 per cent of students who ate a nutritious breakfast went on to graduate, compared to 61 per cent who ate breakfast sporadically, or not at all.

These findings reinforce the results of a 2014 survey of just over 1,500 Canadians fielded by Leger on behalf of The Grocery Foundation. It found that nearly 80 per cent of Canadians believe Canada’s ability to feed its hungry children is directly tied to the future prosperity of our country. The same survey also confirmed that as many Canadians believe that children in their community are going without breakfast. It appears they are right on both fronts.

It is currently estimated that one in five Canadian children do not have access to proper nutrition. The impact is immediate and lasting. Besides the negative impact on grades, going to school hungry is linked to a host of learning disabilities and cognitive impairments. That’s not all—hunger can lead to chronic illnesses, such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease later in life, as well as depression, poor self-esteem and anxiety.

Since 1979, The Grocery Foundation has been supporting myriad organizations with a focus on helping children. In recent years, The Foundation’s sole focus has centred on raising funds for student nutrition with a view to reduce and end the number of Canadian children going to school on an empty stomach. Through partnerships with sponsors and local retailers who help collect funds, 100 per cent of which go back to local programs, The Foundation has raised more than $18 million through Toonies for Tummies alone and $88 million over the past four decades.

Right now, The Grocery Foundation is committed to raising money to fund more breakfast programs in local schools, to ensure that students start their day on the right foot and ready to learn. The Foundation is gearing up for the return of its Toonies for Tummies to Western Canada following a successful pilot in February 2017.

Shoppers can donate to support student nutrition programs at participating retailers including Save-On-Foods, IGA, Buy-Low Foods and Nesters Market.

With just a toonie to Toonies for Tummies, you can have a direct impact on students’ lives, nourishing an estimated 8,000 children in British Columbia through its partnership with the Breakfast Club of Canada (BCC).

One hundred per cent of donations raised through the campaign in the West will go directly to local Breakfast Club of Canada programs in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

There are several ways to donate: either by giving online, sending a cheque to The Grocery Foundation, #207-5409 Eglinton Ave West, Etobicoke, Ontario, M9C 5K6, or at participating Save-On-Foods stores across the west during the retailer’s campaign: between January 12 to February 1, 2018. (Visit Save-On Foods for more information).

Please give generously. You can see the direct impact of your donation and how it’s benefiting children in your own neighbourhood by logging onto Track Your Toonies and inputting your postal code.

CREATED BY BCLIVING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GROCERY FOUNDATION.