In early April, schools across Canada joined our Virtual Gathering Place, an online platform where they could share their successes and challenges in incorporating Indigenous foods and practices into breakfast and other meal programming. Participants also touched on ways to honour the values and communities of the tradutional territories within which their programs operate. Three main topics were covered: challenges and solution; cultural practices and interconnectedness of food, and recipe sharing.

 

Successes

There were many challenges shared, ranging from time and space within the school community to prepare meals, to food safety regulations and student preferences. However, along with these came many innovative solutions:

• Reducing preparation time:Schools had great ideas to share to help cut down on prep time in the mornings, like baking bannock in a large sheet pan and slicing it into pieces with a pizza cutter. Many foods can also be prepared ahead of time in large batches and stored in the freezer, then warmed up in the morning. Bannock, for example, can be prepared the day before. Slightly toasting or heating it up the next day can restore the soft, delicious texture we know and love.
• Sourcing Indigenous foods:Many schools have found great success in sourcing Indigenous foods through community connections. For example, family or community members who are hunters can provide access to a good supply of meat. Connecting with Elders to gather, harvest or hunt together is also a source of inspiration. Inviting community members or Elders into the school to help make bannock and teach students how to prepare it is another way to introduce traditional foods into your program. Some schools also put out a call to the local community for donations of any meats, foods or produce. Finally, community gardens are a great way to bring foods into your program while maintaining and leveraging local connections.
• Food safety regulations:It is important to consider and follow the food service regulations relevant to your school. Within these regulations, some schools have created a permission form for wild meat when students register, and others have found success purchasing through a local butcher, as the meat is packaged and date-stamped to meet certain requirements.
• Introducing students to new foods:Breakfast coordinators have had success introducing unfamiliar foods by including students in the harvesting or preparation process through community gardens or cooking classes. Inviting Elders or Knowledge Keepers to talk to students about what they ate growing up can also help bridge the gap.

 

Cultural Practices, Language and Interconnectedness of Foods and Culture

Using language, valuing togetherness and honouring the ceremony around eating can be great solutions for representing Indigenous ways of knowing and being in your breakfast program. Schools shared with us how they bring singing, language, art and communities together with school events, announcements and classes.

Many schools are limited in time or resources to incorporate Indigenous foods into their daily breakfast program. Hosting a community-wide meal is one idea for incorporating traditional foods and practices. Involving members of the community to help cook foods like bannock or salmon soup is a great way to get the positive energy going. Other school events, like Métis Week or Indigenous Celebration Day, can also be used to get students to try traditional foods and talk about their heritage and families. Some schools hold outdoor cookouts, where students can make bannock on a stick over an open fire, and teachers and community members can share their specialties, like fishing, and harvesting and preparing wild meat. Other ways that some schools have incorporated language and cultural practices into their breakfast programs include announcing the daily breakfast menu in Cree and gathering every morning with singing, drumming and round dancing during breakfast. Another school including learning Cree for students during beading classes.

 

Kicking off Your Breakfast Program and Recipe Sharing 

Some easy recipe ideas to get you started: why not work wild berries into different breakfast dishes? Saskatoon berries, blueberries and other berries can be used in smoothies or parfaits, or served with bannock, pancakes or oatmeal. Fresh summer berries can be preserved by making compote or jam to enjoy all year round.

Bannock can also be served in many ways, including breakfast pizza, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast tacos, French toast or with chili and stew. Try using a blend of whole wheat and white flour, or adding oats or ground oat flour to your bannock, to increase its nutritional value.

Some other ideas:

• Reach out to Nations in your area for recipes
• Ask students and their families to share recipes
• Google or search the local library for a cookbook with local traditional recipes
• Start a “Bannock of the Month” activity and have students bring in their own family recipes
• Hold an outdoor cookout and invite local community members
• View the list of resources from trusted stakeholders that we have compiled here.

 

The Virtual Gathering Place was a part of our dedication to supporting each program’s unique reality, in this case, the focus on an Indigenous worldview. It was also a way to participate in reconciliation. We hope to continue developing our support for traditional and Indigenous foods and to provide more resources for our schools. We are grateful to have learned from the over 160 schools in attendance.

 

From May 16 to June 16, 2022, over 3,000 breakfast programs from across the country are invited to join Breakfast Club of Canada’s Breakfast in Unison to celebrate the outstanding work of the volunteers and school teams who devote their time and energy to ensure everything runs smoothly and children can get a healthy start to the day.

 

In the weeks leading up to these celebrations, schools and community organizations were asked to nominate a Breakfast Champion whose drive and determination are vital to their program. The result: over a hundred nominees from coast to coast to coast!

 

A special thank-you to all our Breakfast Champions from everyone here at BCC for what you do, day in and day out, for the next generation.

 

Alberta

• Karen Alook, volunteer at St. Theresa School for the past year: Karen is the head cook at the school and enthusiastically creates breakfasts for the students that are nutritious and yummy. She regularly jokes around with the students, making the start of the day a great time for all.
• Colleen Atkinson, volunteer at Wabamun School for the past 7 years: Colleen is a very dedicated volunteer who has coordinated our breakfast program. All our students and staff know her and look forward to her daily interactions as she hands out breakfast each morning.
• Josée Bernard, volunteer at the Centre-Nord School Board for the past 2 years: Josée is very dedicated to the breakfast program. It benefits students who wouldn’t otherwise have breakfast before arriving at the school. She is also attentive to students who have less to eat and makes sure that the leftovers are never wasted.
• Ellen Bessala, volunteer at Bishop McNally High School for the past 4 years: Ellen is one of the friendly faces who greets students at our school each morning. Her fun-loving energy draws students over to receive a healthy meal to start their day. Going above and beyond is second nature to her.
• Rhonda Collins, volunteer at St. Paul Alternate Education Centre for the past 7 years: Rhonda is an absolute pleasure to work with. She comes to school early each day to start breakfast for our whole school’s student population and does it with a smile on her face.
• Jane Geddes, volunteer at Brentwood Elementary School for the past 2 years: Not only does Jane help prepare the muffins that kids enjoy daily, but she also ensures we always have breakfast items readily available.
• Annik Guevremont, volunteer at La Mosaïque School for the past 7 years: Annik is always on task! She makes sure that every single student who takes part in our program eats their breakfast.
• Shannon Hicks, volunteer at Crowther Memorial Junior High School for the past 3 years: Shannon prepares the breakfasts every morning, delivers the containers and helps other volunteers.
• Jamie Hill, volunteer at Dr. Ken Sauer School for the past 2 years: Jamie is a wonderful lady who cares deeply about supporting our students. She makes them feel like they are eating their breakfast at a restaurant and chats with them in the morning. It sets them up for a successful day.
• Ashton Ketchum, young volunteer at St. Mary’s Catholic School for the past year: Ashton was the only student to step forward as a volunteer to help our program operate. He takes great pride in assisting with the selection of the offerings for our school’s daily breakfast and sets everything out.
• Shelly Lagran, volunteer at Southview Elementary School for the past 4 years: Before we had funding from BCC, Shelly used to volunteer and made sure the students had something to eat. She would go grocery shopping, as well as bake muffins at home on the weekends.
• Don Lakusta and Vivian Kham, volunteers at John D. Bracco Junior High School for the past 2 years: Don coordinates the breakfast program. He does the food pickups and all the planning. He is supportive and hard-working. Vivian is a young teacher who has jumped right in at an organizational level. Her commitment, organization and support are amazing!
• Cheryle Langley, volunteer at Holy Cross Catholic Elementary/Junior High School for the last 5 years: Cheryle makes a difference in the lives of our children every day. She goes above and beyond, knowing the importance of a good nutritional start to the day.
• Jessica Lovel, volunteer at Chief Justice Milvain School for the past year: Jessica goes above and beyond every day to support the students. She is organized and always prepared to greet students in the morning. It is her hard work that has made the program such a success.
• Caroline Michaud, volunteer at De la Source School for the past 4 years: Caroline is generous and kind-hearted. She always keeps in mind what is best for the kids. We cannot express how much she has helped our students.
• Leona Miko, volunteer at St. Damien School for the past 3 years: Leona has always supported our students with a big heart. She encourages our students to be their best and provides nutrition with a smile.
• Alaina Nicolet, young volunteer at Children of St. Martha School for the past 2 years: Alaina meets and greets everyone. She notices those who need an extra connection in the morning and is happy to start them off with a smile, friendly words, and a choice of a hot or cold breakfast.
• Jody Poitras, volunteer at Webster Niblock School for the past year: Jody was the reason our school could start the breakfast program. She helped with everything. The students love seeing her each day when they come down to the kitchen for breakfast.
• Anna Kelly Redcrow, young volunteer at Light of Christ School for the past 3 years: Anna comes every morning with a smile on her face and a positive attitude. She is a great mentor for the new volunteers. Her patience and kindness always shine through.
• Katarina Rivard, volunteer at St. Peter Elementary School for the past year: Katarina has been an amazing organizer of our breakfast program. She dedicates her time and energy to it every day. She is our one and only Breakfast Champion, serving over 80 students each day.
• Tara Roen, volunteer at Dr. Gladys McKelvie Egbert School for the past 5 years: Tara is committed to being at school by 7 a.m. every morning to support the program. She orders the food based on everyone’s needs and favourites, organizes everything and welcomes the students.
• Andrea Savino, volunteer at St. Monica School for the past 4 years: We strongly believe that our breakfast program would not be what it is without Andrea. She is dedicated and committed to providing healthy meals to start the day for all our students.
• Evelyn Schultz, volunteer at Lauderdale School for the past 6 years: Evelyn truly cares about the students and staff at Lauderdale School. She uses the breakfast program to connect with students of all grades. They love going to the breakfast program that she has created.
• Treina Selthun, volunteer at Beacon Heights School for the past 20 years: Treina is the heart of our school and the heart of the breakfast program. She and her husband spend hours of their own time sourcing food, getting donations and prepping materials for our program.
• Amina Serroukh, volunteer at St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Elementary School for the past year: Amina has been running our breakfast program this year and is a phenomenal employee and co-worker. Our students call her “Auntie” because she has such a great relationship with them.
• Marilyn Sharp, volunteer at Clive School for the past 8 years: Marilyn faithfully comes to our school once a week, but she does not come empty-handed. She always brings us a new recipe for the kids to try. She also volunteers in the classrooms to help students who are struggling with reading.
• Sandra Sims, volunteer at Pioneer Middle School for more than 5 years: Sandra does a lot of the shopping on her own time and comes in early every day to set things up.
• Julie Talbot and Monica Andrew, volunteers at Holy Trinity Catholic School for the past 2 and 8 years: Julie always puts students’ needs first. She supports the breakfast program in many aspects. Monica advocates for students to have a healthy start to their day. Through her work, the program continues to be a success each year. We are lucky to have them.
• Dawn Tees, volunteer at Clive School for the past 8 years: Dawn greets 100-plus kids every day with breakfast and a huge smile. It’s a great way for students to start each day at our school!
• Sheldon Thompson, volunteer at Vegreville Composite High School for the past 7 years: Sheldon has been extremely dedicated to the success of this program and values the contribution it makes in the daily routine of our students.
• Stasia Uhlmann, volunteer at West Central High School since the program started: Stasia is a kind and compassionate person who knows the importance of feeding our kids. We live about an hour away from some of the larger stores, yet Stasia routinely takes time from her weekends to make sure the program is always supplied.
• Sharmin Unwin, volunteer at St. Matthew Catholic School for the past 5 years: Sharmin has given her time to make our program a success! She contributes to the program in all aspects: she organizes the groceries, plans the menus and coordinates the volunteers to get food to our students!
• Mandy Weiss, volunteer at Medicine Hat Public School Division for the past few years: Mandy is at the centre of the breakfast program, engaging with the students and being that welcoming, friendly face they get to see when they arrive. Not only is Mandy providing their basic need of food, but she is also supporting their emotional well-being.
• Brad White, volunteer at Kikino School for the past 3 years: Brad is our school admin assistant. He does a lot for the breakfast program and gives us Indigenous connections to food, with recipes and the use of the Cree language.

 

British Colombia

• Sally Anderson, volunteer at John Howitt Elementary School for the past 5 years: Without Sally’s hard work and support, we would not have a breakfast program at our school. Her coordination and support in getting us items to feed students have been very helpful.
• Sabine Cooperman, volunteer at Clearwater Secondary School for the past 2 years: Sabine has been supportive of the breakfast program for years, but since the completion of the renovations to our cafe, partly funded by Breakfast Club of Canada, she has been making a deluxe breakfast once a week.
• Sandra Dube, volunteer at Skeena Middle School for a few years: Sandra has been working at the school as long as I can remember. Years ago, when I was a classroom teacher, she would feed so many children each morning. I am blown away by the work she does.
• Sherry Hamilton and Joanie Tronson, volunteers at Sensisyusten House of Learning since its beginning: Sherry is an enthusiastic champion of all things related to ensuring that kids have food to eat. She is tireless. Joanie goes out of her way to prepare the very best meals for our students each and every day.
• Dawn Hippisley, volunteer at Kitwanga Elementary School for more than 15 years: Dawn is a tireless volunteer. She arrives at school 45 minutes before she begins her position to serve children every single morning. She cooks, she cleans, and she takes her tending to our students’ needs to heart. Our program would not have the heart and soul that it currently does without her.
• Rylei Hunter, volunteer at A.D. Rundle Middle School for the past 4 years: Rylei never misses a morning. She organizes all our food sharing for students. She does everything she can to make sure they are fed and supported.
• Naomi Lajeunesse, volunteer at Bayview Elementary School for the past year: Naomi is an education assistant who comes with baking and cooking experience. When she is not preparing “the best muffins ever” (said by a Grade 1 student), she is supporting vulnerable learners in our school.
• Julie McCutcheon, volunteer at John Allison Elementary School for the past 2 years: Julie runs the breakfast program in the spirit that makes it so much more than food. She greets students with warmth and interest, provides and remembers their preferred breakfast choices, and checks in with them as to how they are doing.
• Maria Paul, volunteer at Sxoxomic Community School for the past 4 years: Maria has a caring and motherly way about her. She treats the students as if they were her own children, with kindness and compassion.
• October Pinyon, volunteer at LNIB School for the past 2 years: October enjoys helping in the kitchen twice a week. She is very friendly and always positive.
• Wendy Prebble, volunteer at Houston Secondary School for the past 4 years: Wendy is a Breakfast Champion because she gives so much more than breakfast to our students. She is a caring adult for so many of our vulnerable kids. Her role is about much more than nutrition and quality choices.
• Marina Rubinato, volunteer at Hazelton Secondary School since the beginning: Marina is the main coordinator of our breakfast program. She goes above and beyond with everything she does. She cares a great deal for students’ well-being and works very hard to meet not just their nutritional needs, but their emotional needs as well.
• Stirring Church, supporters of Highland Park Elementary School: They donated $5,000. They do the shopping, based on our list, and drop the items off at the school.
• Vicki Walker, volunteer at Shoreline Community Middle School for more than 10 years: Vicki has worked tirelessly to facilitate both a breakfast program and a hot lunch program for all students who require food. This amounts to 40 to 50 meals each day.
• Lisa Moore, volunteer at Revelstoke Secondary School for the past few years: Lisa has helped many schools in Revelstoke and the adults who head the breakfast programs. Her support and caring for what this organization does are what make it possible to bring breakfast to as many children as we do.
• Lenora Santurbano, volunteer at Roosevelt Park Community School for the past 2 years: Lenora comes in early every day because she cares about what our students get to eat for breakfast. She ensures they get a warm connection in the morning, in addition to an amazing nutritional start to their day.

 

Manitoba

• Sylvie Dufour, volunteer at McIsaac School for the past 5 years: Sylvie worked very hard to set up a committee to implement the breakfast program in the school. She still oversees the program and keeps it running smoothly.
• Karen Lambert, volunteer at Archwood School for the past few months: Karen makes sure all students get breakfast every morning and is devoted to making their morning brighter and happier.
• Kari Payne and Charlene Cox, volunteers at Happy Thought School for the past 2 years: Kari and Charlene are educational assistants at our school. They are constantly volunteering their time before school to help cook breakfast or to get the breakfast bins ready. Our program would not run as effectively as it does without their support.
• Angel Constant, volunteer at Joe A. Ross School for the past 2 years: Angel kept the breakfast program running on time when no one was able to help out with the program.
• Josh Grisdale, volunteer at Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre for the past 5 years: Josh is a great worker with heart. He connects well with students and will go a long way to help and be available for them.

 

New Brunswick

• Erin Mabie, volunteer at Birchmount School for the past year: Erin is very organized, kind and caring. She creates lists, organizes the meals, purchases food, prepares it and helps others in the program. We are very thankful for her!
• Heather Milner, volunteer at Dorchester School for many years: Heather is an educational assistant at our school. She comes in early to get breakfast ready and delivers trays to classrooms. She is never frazzled, goes with the flow and is very accommodating.

 

Northwest Territories

• Kathleen Mcleod, volunteer at Echo Dene School since its beginning: Kathleen has never missed a hot breakfast for our students, knowing how important it is to have something to eat before starting the day.

 

Ontario

• Darlene Pawis, volunteer at Kinomaugewgamik Elementary School, for so many years: Darlene goes above and beyond when it comes to our breakfast program. In addition to serving on our staff for the past 20 years, she is the program’s part-time nutrition coordinator.

 

Quebec

• Avis Anez, volunteer at New Carlisle High School for the past 3 years: Avis works tirelessly every day to make sure that our students start the day off with a nutritious breakfast. She comes in early to prepare breakfast before her regular workday begins.
• Dan Aucoin, volunteer at Mansonville Elementary School for the past 10 years: Dan is the backbone of our breakfast program. He works hard for it. This program simply could not exist without him.
• Geneviève Bélanger, volunteer at Flemming Elementary School for the past 3 years: Geneviève is the sole volunteer for the breakfast program and goes above and beyond with preparation and organization of breakfast goods. There is not a big enough THANK-YOU for everything she does!
• Sylvie Corbeil, volunteer at Sautjuit School for the past 3 years: Sylvie oversees the breakfast program. She organizes the meals, recruits people, makes deliveries, manages the inventory and even sometimes goes to pick up the food at the airport. We couldn’t do it without her.
• Mark Dempster, volunteer at Badabin Eeyou School for the past year: Mark plans the orders, coordinates food deliveries and communicates with the staff. He does it all!
• Carolyn Desmond, volunteer at Beurling Academy for the past 3 years: Carolyn makes sure that each student can have a breakfast, and she does it with a smile and a “good morning.” Even if a student is late and misses the breakfast, she will take the time and make sure they get something to eat before going to class.
• Myriam Farley, volunteer at LINKS High School for a few years: Myriam’s dedication and commitment to our students is exemplary. She is active in all the aspects of the breakfast program. It has changed the lives of our students, and this wouldn’t be possible without her hard work.
• Mary Franklin, volunteer at Golden Valley School for more than 5 years: Mary saw a need at our school and got the breakfast program started. She ensures that the food is delivered and that each child gets breakfast. When we have children who are not part of the program but are hungry, she makes sure that they are fed.
• Evelyn Fuller and Anthony Hester, volunteers at Luke Mettaweskum School for the past 4 years and past year: Evelyn takes on all the organizing of the breakfast program. It wouldn’t run without her! Anthony just started working for the school this year. Without even being asked, he began helping out with the program every day, although he is only scheduled to work three out of five days. This kind gesture has helped keep our breakfast program running.
• Marie-Hélène Gagnon, volunteer at Options High School for the past 2 years: Marie-Hélène goes above and beyond to make the breakfast program a huge success. She always has a smile on her face as she makes sure that our students are well fed. Her warmth and passion radiate to everyone in our school community.
• Kristy Girvan, volunteer at Farnham Elementary School for the past few years: Kristy shows up every morning at 6:15 a.m. with her three children and gets busy in the kitchen preparing all the breakfast trays. She is our champion!
• Paul Karpontinis, volunteer at Lester B. Pearson High School for the past 6 years: Paul is committed to giving all the students the best-quality breakfast and making sure they get what they need to have a successful day.
• Darrell Kean, volunteer at Greater Gatineau Elementary School for more than 5 years: Darrell arrives early at work and volunteers for the breakfast program. He organizes all the food that we receive and prepares it for our students. We are very lucky to have him.
• Lisa Lepore, volunteer at Joliette Elementary School for the past 5 years: Lisa has been a tireless parent volunteer for many years. She became part of our staff this year but has remained steadfastly committed to the program, arriving early and staying late to ensure that our team has everything they need.
• Natasha Lo Basso, volunteer at Pierrefonds Community High School for the past 5 years: Natasha coordinates the entire breakfast program. She organizes the student volunteers and prepares the breakfasts for our school. She is a true champion of our breakfast program!
• Wahienhawi McGregor, volunteer at Karonhianónhnha Tsi Ionterihwaienstáhkhwa School for the past 2 years: Wahienhawi is our breakfast program coordinator. Each morning, she delivers breakfast to each individual class, where she can also connect with the students, wish them a good day and encourage everyone to make good choices. She is our Breakfast Champion!
• Anastasia Mulcare, volunteer at Carlyle Elementary School for the past 3 years: Anastasia is well organized, always thinks of the students and is kind, generous and engaged in the breakfast program.
• Sue Purcell and Sheila Morrison, volunteers at Verdun Elementary School for the past 5 years: Sue has always shown flexibility and great problem-solving skills. Her smile, good humour and willingness to always go the extra mile make her an exceptional volunteer. Sheila is here every day, preparing a delicious breakfast for  the children. She loves to chat with the students and staff and makes everyone feel special and loved.
• Maria Sansalone, volunteer at Gerald McShane Elementary School for the past 5 years: Maria is there EVERY morning to make sure the bins are distributed and picked up afterward, ready to go for the next morning.
• Melissa Smithman, volunteer at Voyageur Memorial High School for the past 2 years: Melissa was one of the first people to propose the idea of providing breakfast in our school. She is dedicated to the success and well-being of our students and proves it through her actions.
• Sandra Tartamella and Dolores DeMichele, volunteers at Edward Murphy Elementary School for the past 5 years: Sandra is a devoted and reliable person who ensures everyone’s well-being. She is always available and willing to support our students. Dolores is always ready to help! She arrives early every morning with a smile on her face. The program would not run smoothly without her.
• Alexandra Urban-Desnoyers, volunteer at Beurling Academy for the past year: Alexandra’s care and attention to making sure our students are set up for a successful day are amazing. She does it all with a smile and a “good morning.” She is our main link to the organization and makes sure everything runs smoothly.
• Andy Wheeler, volunteer at Waterloo Elementary School for a few years: Andy works the midnight shift and comes in after to make sure our students are fed every single day. He spends his weekends cooking and is always there making sure every student has had their fill. We could not do this without him.

 

Saskatchewan

• Theresa Burkholder, volunteer at Seven Stones Community School for many years: Our students appreciate Theresa and thank her every day for all the wonderful work she does for our breakfast program. They truly enjoy spending time with her and digging into the delicious breakfast that she has prepared.
• Michelle Crawford, volunteer at Vincent Massey Public School for the past 3 years: Michelle ran a small business creating meals. I approached her to ask if she would be interested in baking for our breakfast program. She was more than willing to take on this task. Her weekly addition has really added a homemade touch.
• Jean Mager and Rachelle Whitrow, volunteers at Mount Royal Collegiate for the past 5 years: Jean encourages students to participate in the making of the food and gets their ideas on how to make items tastier. Rachelle has an amazing personality. Her smile and friendly demeanour are what makes our students feel so comfortable and accepted at the breakfast program.
• Alisa Meyer, volunteer at Maverick School for many years: Alisa is efficient, positive and caring. Students know that, when breakfast comes around, they are guaranteed great nutrition and a friendly morning greeting!
• Shari Pfneisl, volunteer at Albert Community School for the past 2 years: Shari has worked incredibly hard to develop a nutrition program where every child is given breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. It is one of the reasons many of our students come to school each day.
• Bonnie Wersta, volunteer at Coronation Park Community School for the past 4 years: Bonnie has the biggest heart. She plans each day’s breakfast with love and care. She comes up with such creative and exciting options that are nutritious and taste fabulous!