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Mealshare celebrates 500,000 meals donated to the Club.

There is an old African proverb that says “Alone, you go faster, but together we go farther.” This adage perfectly explains how two national non-profits like Mealshare and Breakfast Club of Canada combine forces to increase our impact. 

Our partnership makes perfect sense because our missions are so well aligned. The Club aims to give children an equal chance to learn by providing healthy meals in a nurturing environment. Mealshare makes it easy for restaurant patrons to turn their dining experience into a giving opportunity. Both organizations use our vast national networks to rally communities around the issues of nutrition and food access.   

 

The Club is very lucky to count on strong partnerships with like-minded organizations like Mealshare.  

8 years of partnership and counting 

Created in 2013, Mealshare is now present in 76 communities across the country. Mealshare found a creative way to partner with restaurants across Canada by designating select dishes on their menu as a Mealshare item. Restaurants then contribute $1.00 from each Mealshare item sold to charities like the Club, helping provide healthy meals to Canadians in need.  

Mealshare has been a strong and steady partner of the Club since 2015 and just reached the incredible milestone of donating 500,000 meals to the Club’s breakfast school programs. 

Fun fact: Mealshare began with only four restaurant partners at the beginning of this adventure, 10 years ago.  Today, the non-profit organization can count on the support of more than 250 restaurants across Canada. In 2021, they even surpassed five million meals provided to youth in need!  

A solution-focused approach 

Mealshare partners with charities that are well-known in their communities, inclusive, and focused on nurturing youth in need. Wherever possible, they take a solutions-focused approach to providing holistic support for kids and youth. “Our Co-Founders are cousins and best friends who grew up together in Calgary, Alberta. They founded Mealshare with the dream to be able to sit in their rocking chairs one day and explain to their grandkids that there used to be hungry children in our world… but not anymore.” explains Stacey Olsen, Community Leader Coach.  

Partnering with Breakfast Club of Canada was an easy choice for Mealshare; they know how important a healthy breakfast is for children’s overall health and engagement at school. Steven Letts, Advisor, Corporate & Community Giving highlights the great collaboration “Mealshare is a vital organization that has been a steadfast supporter of Breakfast Club of Canada since 2015. We are so grateful for this partnership and look forward to many years of continued collaboration!”  

 By providing meals in a school setting, children also have access to a built-in community of teachers, friends, administrators, and guidance counsellors to help make sure their full needs are being met. Olsen adds: “ensuring children start the day with a nutritious breakfast has so many lasting benefits and we are proud to partner with Breakfast Club of Canada to help make that happen.” 

Thank you, Mealshare for your support! 

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Some Like It Hot: One School’s Mission to Make Hot Breakfasts Part of Their In-Class Service Model

This year, the staff at Nesbitt Elementary School in Montreal, Quebec, decided to break the routine of serving cold breakfast food items that they had adopted while COVID-19 restrictions were in place. They wanted to see if they could switch back to a hot breakfast while maintaining an in-class service model.  

In September 2022, Nicholas Romano, principal of Nesbitt Elementary School, approached breakfast program volunteer Francesca Lasala to discuss the possibility of offering students a hot breakfast. With Francesca’s open-mindedness, determination and strong team of fellow volunteers, they were able to change their menu while still serving breakfast in class. 

With the support of Principal Nicholas Romano, Francesca Lasala and her team of volunteers came up with a menu featuring waffles, scrambled egg tortillas and grilled cheese sandwiches. The breakfast is prepared before school starts and then delivered to each classroom by bin while everything is still warm.   

The team has gotten off to a great start thanks to volunteers Danielle, and husband-and-wife pair Claudette and Denis, who have been helping out for a few years now. Randstad employees are also pitching in this year by sending employees to volunteer every two weeks.  

When asked for advice about getting enough volunteers, Francesca said, “Send an email to parents! Try it! You just need to stress that their presence needs to be consistent.” Francesca also creates a positive climate for her volunteers and puts a lot of effort into how the breakfast appears in the bin. As she puts it, “A good presentation goes a long way!” 

Francesca sees the value in enriching the breakfast program as much as possible. “Before entering the classroom, the students can already smell what’s on the menu. They get so excited about it!” she said, adding, “The most rewarding thing for me is having the kids say ‘thank you’ during the day. Once they came to the breakfast room while I was cleaning and a girl said, ‘Thanks for everything you do to make sure we eat in the morning.’” 

Advice for switching to a hot menu 

The Nesbitt teachers agree: breakfast in class is no different from snack time. It’s a calm period during which students get the chance to start the day with a healthy meal. It gives teachers time to look at their agendas for notes or end-of-day changes. They all have their routine, clean up their spaces and bring back the class bin.  

If you need support, talk to your BCC coordinator! At Nesbitt, Francesca worked with her coordinator to adjust the original menu of pancakes and oatmeal, which they could sense might be too much to manage all at once, to something that was more manageable but just as delicious and nutritious!  

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A Tasty Recipe from Kasha 

Photo Credits: https://petersfoodadventures.com/buckwheat-kasha-with-milk

This combination of roasted buckwheat, honey and milk is easy to make and even easier to devour!  

 

Kasha (Buckwheat Porridge) 

Yield: About 6 servings  

Ingredients 

  • 1 c. (250 ml) roasted buckwheat groats  
  • 2 c. (500 ml) boiling water  
  • ½ tsp. (2.5 ml) salt  
  • 2 tsp. (10 ml) honey or sugar  
  • 2 tbsp. (30 ml) margarine  
  • 1 c. (250 ml) milk or soy beverage  

Preparation 

  1. Wash the roasted buckwheat groats. In a medium saucepan, combine the buckwheat, 1 tbsp. (15 ml) margarine and boiling water.  
  2. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add salt, the remaining margarine and honey, and mix. 
  3. Add milk to the cooked mixture. Return to heat to warm up. Serve with your preferred toppings, such as fresh fruit or a drizzle of honey. 

Photo Credits: https://petersfoodadventures.com/buckwheat-kasha-with-milk

   

Adapted from https://petersfoodadventures.com/buckwheat-kasha-with-milk 

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Beet Hummus

Whether it’s the bright pink colour or the sweet taste, this hummus is sure to be a hit with kids of all ages. What’s more, it’s an excellent way of working some extra vegetable protein into your menu. The recipe was developed by our very own Rebecca Sly, a program coordinator here at Breakfast Club of Canada.  

 

Beet Hummus

 

Ingredients 

  • 5 oz. (150 g) cooked beetroot (approximately 2 medium-sized beets) 
  • 1 can (19 oz./540 ml) chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
  • 2 cloves garlic 
  • 1 tbsp. (15 ml) lemon juice 
  • Salt and pepper to taste 
  • 3 tbsp. (45 ml) vegetable oil of your choosing 

 

Preparation 

  • Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  

 

Ideal served with veggie sticks, but can also be spread over flatbread, regular bread or toast.  

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Gallo Pinto

Photo Credits: https://stripedspatula.com/gallo-pinto

Be sure to give this tastebud-tickling, tummy-warming rice-and-bean dish a whirl! Top up with extra veggies, depending on what’s in season and what you have on hand.  

 

Gallo Pinto 

Adapted from https://stripedspatula.com/gallo-pinto
 

Prep Time: 10 minutes 

Cooking Time: 15 minutes 

Yield: 8 to 10 servings 

 

Ingredients 

  • 2 tbsp. (30 ml) vegetable, olive or canola oil 
  • 1 red pepper, chopped 
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped 
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced 
  • 1 can (14 oz./398 ml) can black beans  
  • ¾ c. (180 ml) water  
  • ¼ c. (60 ml) Salsa Lizano* 
  • 3 c. (750 ml) cooked brown rice,** preferably day-old and refrigerated 
  • ¼ c. (60 ml) chopped fresh cilantro 

* Salsa Lizano (Lizano sauce) is a Costa Rican condiment that can be found in many specialty grocery stores. It gives a wonderful flavour to this dish, but if you can’t find any, try this instead: 

  • 2 tbsp. (30 ml) Worcestershire or HP sauce
    OR 
  • 3 tbsp. (45 ml) soy sauce + 1 tbsp. (15 ml) maple syrup  

**Check the yield on the packaging. As a rule of thumb, 1 cup of uncooked brown rice makes 3 cups of cooked rice.  

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Preparation 

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sauté chopped pepper and onions until peppers are soft and onions are translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.  
  2. Add black beans, water and Salsa Lizano, stirring to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened and a little bit of the liquid has evaporated. Gently stir in cooked rice, and cook until heated through and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 3 to 5 minutes. 
  3. Stir in chopped cilantro. Season to taste with additional Salsa Lizano, if desired, and serve. 

Photo Credits: https://stripedspatula.com/gallo-pinto

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Back-to-School Open Houses: Relationship Building Among Schools

In early fall, we hosted seven Open House sessions across Canada.

These sessions were an opportunity for schools to connect with the Club and other schools in their region. Participants were able to share current plans, exchange ideas and offer support to one another. Three main topics were covered: menu planning, budgeting and food preparation, and community partnerships.  

 

Menu planning 

There were many challenges shared, ranging from equipment capacity and volunteer recruitment within the school community to strategies for preparing a variety of meals to suit students’ preferences. However, along with these came many innovative solutions: 

  • Grab-and-go model: Schools had great ideas to share about how they changed to a grab-and-go model to increase accessibility for students. This model also cuts down on preparation time and lets schools plan menus more easily. Participants mentioned that a high number of volunteers and greater equipment capacity significantly increase program efficiency and capability. 
  • Reintroduction of hot and specialty items: Many schools have found great success in bringing back egg dishes. One school highlighted that egg bites are a popular hot item that can be used in the grab-and-go model.  
  • Popular menu items: In many schools, there are ongoing requests to vary the items offered. Bobbi from Food & Friends shared that they have a school that not only serves the regular breakfast staple foods, but also offers things like spaghetti, dumplings and other items for breakfast, noting that not everybody likes to eat traditional breakfast items in the morning. 
  • Some of the most popular items served are: 
  • Breakfast wraps and sandwiches 
  • Smoothies 
  • Baked oatmeal 
  • Bannock pops and bagels 
  • Pizza bagels 
  • Oatmeal bean cookies. 

See our Recipe Book for some unique and delicious recipes! 

 

 

Budgeting and food preparation 

In all of our sessions, schools raised concerns regarding rising inflation and the cost of food. Schools also discussed how they needed to tighten their budget and stretch it even further than previous years. Most of the schools present wanted to learn from the Club and other schools about budgeting tips. See our 2022 Toolkit for information and resources regarding the operation of your breakfast program. 

Schools highlighted the following ideas to help with budgeting and food preparation: 

  • Reducing food waste: A school in BC mentioned that they will not start making hot food until students are present in the breakfast room and confirm that they would like to have something to eat.  
  • Promoting environmental sustainability: Students can bring in their own cutlery and wash it at home to avoid single-use plastics and additional costs for utensils, etc.  
  • Rescuing food: One school mentioned their partnership with Second Harvest to gather additional produce for their program. Second Harvest is the largest food rescue organization in Canada. From farm to retail, they capture surplus food before it ends up in landfill, diverting it to organizations to use in their food preparation and distribution. 

  

Community partnerships 

At all of our sessions, we asked, “What partnerships or donations have you been able to leverage with local stores, organizations or community groups? How did these partnerships or these donations begin? How did you approach them?” We received a phenomenal amount of feedback! 

  • Fundraising: A rural school in Alberta entered into a partnership with the new gas station in town to hold fundraising activities. Students create handmade crafts to sell at the gas station to raise funds for their breakfast program. School-made muffins are also a popular fundraising item. 
  • Bakeries: One school in Alberta has a partnership with COBS Bread. Their donations are received once per week. They use the breads and buns for their breakfast program and share the surplus with other community schools in the area.  
  • Local restaurants and pubs: A school in British Columbia mentioned that they have a partnership with a local pub. A percentage of the sales from a designated “charity tap” goes toward supporting the school’s breakfast program. 
  • Transportation: A school in New Brunswick has teamed up with local transport trucking companies. If a pallet of food is turned away from a store, the companies will call the school to see if any of the items can be used in their breakfast program.  
  • Community and senior centres: A local senior centre prepares muffins for a school breakfast program. The school purchases the ingredients, delivers them to senior centre and picks up the products once they’re made.  

Partnerships like these can be a huge help in maximizing the potential of your breakfast program. They are also a great way to engage the local community. Let us know how we can help! 

 

The Open House sessions are a part of our dedication to providing personalized support to each program, in this case, by focusing on regional relationship-building among schools. We are already looking forward to our next sessions later in the year.