Affirmations in action: Harvest Manitoba’s breakfast kit exercise

affirmation station

Harvest Manitoba went above and beyond in their mission to nourish children and incorporated an affirmation exercise in the Breakfast 2 Go packs for the students at the five schools they reach out to. The response has been incredible.

 

Mika Peterson, Harvest Manitoba’s Community Events Manager, shared that “the affirmations started as a way to ensure our Breakfast 2 Go students were being nourished physically and mentally with food, but also emotionally through positive affirmation. We understand that in order to have healthy children in our communities they need to be supported equally in all three ways, which is why we have included affirmation notes in the kits. It’s just a reminder that someone is thinking of you and looking out for you. Here’s a meal and a little note to make you feel cared for.”

Positive notes

Initially, the affirmation notes came from Google or Pinterest searches. One day, a group of volunteers who had come in to sort food finished early and asked if there were other ways they could help. The Harvest Manitoba team asked if they would like to prepare handwritten affirmations for the breakfast kits. The messages could be as simple as “Have a great day!” or “Enjoy your breakfast!” The volunteers happily agreed. It was intended as a one-time exercise, but students and teachers alike said how much these personal messages meant. Not only did they make students feel good, but the adult volunteers who wrote them also enjoyed the experience and were reminded of the importance of being kind to themselves as well.

Positive Notes

The impact was overwhelmingly positive. The students said the affirmations made them feel like someone cared, and they were excited to see what their message would be from week to week. The Harvest Manitoba team was glad that such a simple action was having such a powerful effect. During the holidays, Harvest Manitoba shared a social media post asking the community for affirmation submissions. Over 100 families, schools and businesses responded, thus expanding the scope of the initiative and showcasing the power of community.

 

At the end of the year, Harvest Manitoba distributed a survey to students to get their feedback about the program. One of the questions was about the affirmation notes and how they made students feel. Here are some of their heartwarming answers:

  • “I feel happy and special.”
  • “I love them. I put them up on my fridge at home. I have kept every note since last year.”
  • “What I feel when I get B2Go… HAPPY!”
  • “Kind of fun to read, the motivational ones are the best.”
  • “The notes in my B2Go kit make me feel happy.”
  • “I read them and keep them in a box.”
  • “Happy! The jokes are happy and funny and silly!”
  • “I keep them for my sister because she has been struggling and the note made her feel better.”
  • “They’re funny so they make me laugh!”
  • “Makes me smile, it’s cool that you can tell other kids wrote them.”
  • “Confident and awesome.”
  • “I got a lot of them. It feels good to hear nice words.”
  • “The notes in the bags make me feel encouraged to make something.”
  • “Happy, very happy and I feel like I should give someone else the same note.”
  • “The notes I get in my Breakfast 2 Go bags make my day even better and it gives me a big smile. I remember last year I would always collect the notes and give them to my family members.”
  • “I want to know who writes them and I want to write them for other kids.”
  • “It makes me feel really good. Every time I’m in class I look at the notes and it helps me work faster.”
  • “They make me feel like somebody is giving me confidence :).”
  • “It actually makes me feel good because I know I have some food to eat.”

 

When asked what she loves the most about the affirmations, Mika said:

“I love that our students feel cared for, that the affirmations act as a little reminder that they have a whole community supporting them. It is the best part of my job seeing people in the community come together to support one another. Whether that’s supporting Breakfast 2 Go through funds, food, time packing the kits or time spent creating an affirmation note, it truly has such a huge impact.“

 

The whole experience once again shows that every bit counts. Even a small donation or investment of time can have a lasting impact.

Anick Lamothe Teams Up with the Club for a Campaign in Collaboration with Circle K & Couche-Tard

Today, we are talking to Anick Lamothe, blogger, author, translator and mother. Anick has also been volunteering with Breakfast Club of Canada since 2013. The self-avowed foodie behind the blog Une mère poule un peu dingue has created a collection of 10 nutritious and delicious recipes for the Club. These delicious recipes are available as part of Circle K and Couche Tard’s fundraising campaigns for BCC.

 

Meet the creator of flavours Anick Lamothe :

 

You seem to have led several different lives. Can you tell us a little more about your background?

When I was younger, I wanted to be a teacher or a lawyer. I actually worked as a notary for three years and I hated it! I always had a thing for healthy eating, and since I was already making homemade baby food for my daughter, I started making some for friends of mine who were new moms. This was the original impetus behind Les aliments La Mère Poule, which I co-founded with my mother. The idea was a success, but my mother fell ill and we had to sell the business. Not long after that, I ventured into the world of pharmaceutical development, and that’s when I decided to start giving back to society. The Club was a natural choice, given my love for children.

 

What sparked your passion for cooking?

When I was a little girl, my mother used to sit me down beside her while she was working in the kitchen. I had my own miniature rolling pin and I even used to make pies! I always found comfort in the smells coming from the kitchen. As I grew older, I picked up the pastime of reading cookbooks like other people would read novels. Cooking is a great way to bring families together and share special moments. That’s what it means to me.

Anick Lamotte Cookbook

What is your favourite dish or recipe?

I tend to lean more toward the savoury than I do the sweet. For the longest time, my favourite thing to make was my grandmother’s mocha cake or her “fridge cookies.” But now, I’m far too curious to limit myself to a single choice.

 

Why did you choose to get involved with Breakfast Club of Canada?

Because children can’t learn when they’re hungry, and education is the key to success. Growing brains want to learn, but they can’t do it on their own. I think fighting food insecurity is basically a civic duty. It’s an investment in the future of our society. I’m someone who’s constantly on the go, so the only time I had to volunteer was early in the morning. That’s why the Club’s breakfast program was the perfect solution for me: I could lend a hand to a deserving organization while helping children eat better.

 

How does this come together in your day-to-day life?

Before the pandemic, we all helped set up the tables and prepare food, chatting merrily away as we went. The volunteers are in charge of serving breakfast and doing dishes. It’s a great opportunity to connect with the kids — we always have an encouraging word and a smile for each one. Some children even volunteer to help out, and that’s wonderful. I miss my talks with Fadia and her great big smile, and with Sophie, who’s just a little wisp of a thing. We are there to serve food to kids, but there’s a human warmth that goes in both directions. At the end of every shift, I’m always on cloud nine, even though it’s not necessarily easy to get up at 5:30 in the morning and crawl into a freezing cold car. But you get more than you give when you volunteer with a breakfast program.

 

What have you noticed about the children who frequent the breakfast program?

I live in an ethnically diverse neighbourhood, so there are lots of newcomers in our community. But everybody shares a love of maple syrup! What really stands out is how kind and polite the children are. You can see how nervous some of them are at first, but after a couple of weeks they feel right at home. What I’ve also noticed is how inclusive the whole thing is: you almost never see a child eating on their own. And all the different cultures come together!

 

Can you tell us a little more about the recipes you’ve created for the Club?

I wanted to come up with healthy, nutritionally balanced and easy-to-make recipes, but with a little something extra to expand young palates while still maintaining a broad appeal. So my version of oatmeal, for example, is made with spelt, a grain that is as healthy as it is yummy. My muffins use buckwheat flour and an egg, with a dash of inspiration from Korean street food cuisine!

 

 

Don’t miss the fundraising dates below. Make a donation at the store checkout of a Couche-Tard or Circle K, in Maritime locations, and get a link on your receipt to access these exclusive recipes!

Couche-Tard: September 14th  to 20th
Circle K – Maritimes: September 14th  to October 11th

Costco Takes a Stand for the Children

Team picture Costco

As we continue to live through an unpredictable period, the Costco warehouse chain is once again stepping up as a major partner of Breakfast Club of Canada’s Back-to-School campaign this year.

This is a great way for Costco to make a difference and help nurture the potential of children by giving them an equal opportunity to succeed. “Costco started to be involved in the community in its early years. We are committed in our support of charitable activities in the communities where we operate, particularly with initiatives related to children, in the areas of health, welfare and education, as well as families in need, “said Benoit Louis-Seize, Manager of Benefits and Pension at Costco.

 

An essential commitment

Since the beginning of the pandemic, food insecurity has been a major issue across the country and continues to affect a great number of kids. In Canada, 1 in 3 children are at risk of going to school on an empty stomach. The success of this Back-to-School campaign is critical to be able to continue to reach the significant number of children who have benefited from breakfast programs over the past year. “Thanks to partners like Costco, the Club helps Canadian children start their school day on a full stomach,” explains Judith Barry, Co-Founder, Director of Impact and Provincial & Territorial Government Relations at Breakfast Club of Canada.

 

For 14 years now, the Club has been able to count on Costco as a valuable partner. Education and health, especially when it comes to children, are fundamental values for the company and the commitment of the employees in each of the warehouses rubs off on their customers, allowing them to offer a large number of breakfasts to Canadian children. The campaign results are shared on a daily basis between the warehouses and other businesses, which creates a friendly competition amongst the locations as all employees strive to achieve the most fundraising. Benoit Louis-Seize explains, “We also encourage them to have fun! Our employees and members are the key components. They are vital in the success of this campaign. It is our employees’ engagement that makes this successful, as they are responsible for asking every member who goes through their cash if they would like to make a donation to Breakfast Club of Canada throughout the entire campaign.”

 

Supporting future generations

Each year, with the help of members, vendors and employees, the company participates in a variety of fundraising activities and holds a fundraising campaign with the Children’s Miracle Network. It also supports the Canadian Red Cross, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Salvation Army and the United Way. Costco provides numerous university scholarships and more than 48,000 backpacks to underprivileged children across the country through its backpack program.

“We believe every child should be treated equally. They all deserve to have proper nutrition in order to be attentive and focus in class. We want children to have the opportunity to learn and achieve their goals without being distracted by an empty stomach,” says Benoit Louis-Seize. “It’s really important for us to be involved in our community, and our partnership with Breakfast Club of Canada allows us to provide concrete support for the development of future generations.”

 

Costco’s Back-to-School campaign runs until September 19, 2021 and donations can be made in 106 locations across Canada.

Michelin Canada Joins BCC to Nurture the Potential of Children

While a return to a new normal is slowly approaching, the effects of the pandemic are still very present, and some children and their families unfortunately start their day without a healthy breakfast. The generosity of partners and donors is therefore more important than ever.

 

Today, Breakfast Club of Canada is very honoured to welcome Michelin Canada as a new partner. The Club relies on the support of partners and Canadians everywhere to make sure it can continue to reach a considerable number of children in need, and generous corporate supporters such as Michelin Canada are key to the success of BCC’s work. These organizations make it possible to maximize every effort and ensure their donation has a real impact in the lives of children across the country.

 

Promoting sustainable communities

 

Since 1889, Michelin has continued to innovate to facilitate the mobility of people and goods, as well as contribute to the advancement of human progress. Today, the organization is the leader in tire technology, leveraging its expertise to deliver services and solutions that increase travel efficiency and adaptability. These skills are aligned with the work BCC does to be present in every province and territory, be aware of the diverse realities across Canada and understand that every community has specific needs.

 

Michelin also works to promote sustainable communities. To that end, one of Michelin’s key focus areas is the education of youth, particularly in the areas of science and technology. The company counts 23,000 employees in North America and believes supporting education can positively impact the lives of young people.

 

Michelin’s engagement

 

“The education of young people is important to the long-term sustainability of communities, which is an important focus for Michelin,” says Sylvaine Cuniberti, Director of Marketing at Michelin Canada.

 

One example is Michelin Challenge Education (MCE), which was launched in 2009 and gives Michelin employees the opportunity to make a personal contribution to the improvement of public education through hands-on involvement. MCE partners with public elementary schools across Canada and the U.S. to serve as mentors, tutors and volunteers, and most importantly, make a difference at the earliest stage of the learning process.

 

A commitment that Marie-Eve Desrochers, Senior Advisor, Corporate Partnerships at Breakfast Club of Canada, is very pleased to highlight. ”Michelin’s willingness to be directly involved in making a difference is amazing. Michelin is eager to give all children an equal opportunity to succeed – starting with the tutoring program and now partnering with the Club to help nurture the potential of children” she explains. This starts with a nutritious first meal helping to create a caring and inclusive school community, to improve learning capacities and foster a sense of engagement and belonging.

 

“The connection between eating a healthy breakfast and being prepared to learn is well-documented. Through this partnership between Michelin Canada and Breakfast Club of Canada, we hope to inspire future leaders!” concludes Sylvaine Cuniberti.

 

Welcome to the BCC family, Michelin!

Bureau en Gros/Staples Associates Do Their Part to Make a Difference

Once again this year, we are fortunate to enjoy the support of several partners during the Breakfast Club of Canada back-to-school campaign. Unfortunately, food security in Canada has grown significantly since the outset of the pandemic.  

  

This marks the 16th year in a row we have partnered with Bureau en Gros/Staples and we couldn’t be happier or more grateful. They play a front-line role during the back-to-school campaign and pull out all the stops to ensure children don’t begin their school year hungry. “Thanks to the amazing generosity and fundraising efforts of Bureau en Gros/Staples, we have been able to make a real difference. This partnership will help Breakfast Club of Canada push forward and not lose any ground during these trying times,” said BCC General Manager Tommy Kulczyk.  

 

In Canada, 1 in 3 children is at risk of going to school on an empty stomach each morning. That’s 2 million hungry children in all. Every year, Bureau en Gros/Staples goes above and beyond in showing their support for Breakfast Club of Canada’s back-to-school campaign, and so do their employees.  

 

“We are proud to help the Club provide access to a nutritious breakfast to as many children as possible,” said Michel Melançon, Staples Regional Vice President of Sales and Operations. “As more and more children live in households that can’t always afford healthy foods like fruit, we hope our efforts will support the Club’s mission to nurture the potential and health of children, giving all of them an equal opportunity to succeed.”

 

Every action counts  

Associates at Bureau en Gros/Staples’ 90 participating stores across Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces are working together and going the extra mile to contribute to the campaign and encourage customers to join them.  

 

Case in point: Martin Dubeau, an associate with the Sherbrooke store, whose remarkable dedication is shared by his co-workers and friends. They planned a 50k race over the course of a weekend and raised $818, which was added to the store’s fundraising tally. We are very thankful for initiatives like these that just go to prove that every bit counts.  

 

There’s still time for customers in Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces to do their own bit by making a checkout donation at any one of the 90 participating Bureau en Gros/Staples locations until September 19th. During the hectic back-to-school period, the staff and volunteers of Breakfast Club of Canada, along with teachers and parents, are working extra hard to feed as many children as possible and get their school year off to a healthy start. Thank you to everyone at Bureau en Gros/Staples for helping us stop child hunger.  

 

Step up to the breakfast plate and give now! 

Air Canada and Breakfast Club of Canada Reach New Heights in Promoting Children’s Health and Wellness

Breakfast Club of Canada is celebrating its 15th year of partnership with the Air Canada Foundation, a partnership that has helped grow its reach outside of the province of Quebec into a national organization serving healthy meals to more than 250,000 students a day.

 

“They actually were a founding partner to help us take flight, if you will, to expand our operations outside of Quebec,” says Lisa Clowery, BCC’s director of corporate sponsorships. “It was a big milestone for us to have them as a partner.”That initial support of free flights helped BCC expand its operations to every province and territory. And it grew from there, with financial support from the Air Canada Foundation helping to fund programs that promote the health and well-being of children across the country, including in Canada’s Indigenous communities. 

“Air Canada aims to reflect Canadian’s values, which embody those of unity and diversity,” says Air Canada Foundation spokesperson Valerie Durand. “In setting up these programs, it was important for us to support as many communities as possible, including Indigenous communities. Breakfast Club of Canada was already doing it through their programs, so it was a perfect alignment.”

 

Since their relationship began, the Air Canada Foundation has invested more than $1.2 million dollars and their contributions to BCC have helped them serve close to 2 million breakfasts to more than 11,000 students. In addition, 1,500 Indigenous students from high-need communities in Alberta and Manitoba now have access to healthy food options via newly established school breakfast programs.

Programmes petits déjeuners

In 2019, the Air Canada Foundation also committed to funding the opening of two priority breakfast programs in the Northwest Territories and Yukon. They are also sustaining three breakfast programs in remote schools by covering the costs of food purchases and kitchen equipment.

 

“Our mission is the health and wellness of kids and we do this through three main pillars: helping sick kids get better, alleviating child poverty and making dreams come true,” explains Durand.

 

When it comes to that last pillar of making dreams come true, Durand points to the Shooting for the Stars initiative. Every year, three to four Indigenous youth from British Columbia enjoy a trip to Montreal to meet their hockey idol, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. Children are selected from communities where Price played hockey as a youth.

 

As an FNMI ambassador for BCC, Price is a role model for young people across the country, but especially for those who share his Indigenous heritage. Clowery says that the five-year Shooting for the Stars initiative was a real highlight of the organizations’ partnership and one that has had a real impact on the communities that the children come from.

 

“Air Canada was one of the first partners to help us with funding for the Indigenous community and that was a huge milestone for us,” says Clowery. “Over the years, every time we needed them to be part of something, they’ve always raised their hand.”

Programmes petits déjeuners

Last year, the Air Canada Foundation designated Breakfast Club of Canada as a recipient for the cash donations collected from passengers aboard their flights in their Every Bit Counts program. Despite the reduced amount of passenger traffic during the pandemic, the program still collected just over $136,000 for BCC. Of that total, $50,000 was earmarked for their Back to School campaign to combat food insecurity, which has been on the rise during the health crisis.The pandemic has exacerbated the problem in remote Indigenous communities, like Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island. The Nunavut community is the northernmost in Canada, but one BCC ambassador made the effort to ensure students received food during pandemic-induced school closures in May and June 2020. 

For many of the 25 kindergarten to Grade 12 students of Umimmak School, the healthy breakfast served there was the one sure meal they would receive each day. Teachers were concerned about how students would access the nutrition they need. So one teacher named Zuzanna took it upon herself to create food hampers to deliver to the hamlet’s families. Due to health restrictions, no one else could help her, so she assembled the food parcels by herself and personally delivered them by sled once a week.When Air Canada announced winners for its Gift of Travel campaign last holiday season to celebrate community heroes who went above and beyond during 2020, Zuzanna was one of the recipients. 

“We are extremely grateful for our relationship with the Air Canada Foundation and we just want to continue to grow and soar with them and see what other horizons we can achieve together,” says Clowery.

This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Breakfast Club of Canada.

FedEx and the Culture of Giving Back

Breakfast Club of Canada and FedEx Partnership

Because no child should start the day hungry!

As the pandemic has exacerbated household food insecurity, Breakfast Club of Canada is working relentlessly to make sure more and more children start their day with a healthy meal, this would not be possible without the help of valued supporters such as FedEx.

FedEx and Breakfast Club of Canada partnership

As a trusted employer with more than 570,000 team members worldwide, FedEx is proud to support charities across Canada that are near and dear to their employees’ hearts. The company quickly understood the benefits of providing a nutritious meal at school and, more than that, the fact that BCC programs generate positive changes in school communities and our society.

 

Lisa Lisson, president of FedEx Express Canada explains, “Giving back is part of the FedEx culture. FedEx Cares is our global community engagement program and one way that we live out our purpose of connecting people and possibilities. Around the world, our team members support charitable investments and community needs by dedicating their time where they live and work”.

 

In addition to their corporate charitable initiatives, FedEx donates more than $60,000 a year to registered Canadian charities selected by its employees through its FedEx Cares Employee Community Fund.

BCC and FedEx

Sadly, food insecurity still affects the lives of too many Canadians, and it continues to be a critical issue throughout the COVID-19 crisis. With so many people out of work and businesses closed, more and more Canadians are turning to food banks and other community agencies for support, and the number of children in need has increased dramatically.  So, FedEx decided to focus their giving efforts on organizations like Breakfast Club of Canada that are helping children and other at-risk people across the country during this difficult time.

“Through our local giving programs, FedEx supports organizations helping people in need across Canada. Within the last year, our team members have donated more than 5,000 kg of food to 34 Canadian food banks, and the company has donated more than $100,000 to food banks and organizations including Breakfast Club of Canada, that are directly addressing the issue of food insecurity,” added Lisson.

Breakfast Club of Canada is deeply grateful for the support received from FedEx and for their commitment to children’s health and wellness. Their efforts have a huge impact on the Club’s mission to feed  children, especially in these difficult times and on the long road to recovery.

Amazon Delivers Support for Children’s Future

Amazon Delivers Support for Children’s Future

If 2020 was an unprecedented year, 2021 has presented its own unique set of challenges for children and families across Canada. Each morning, 1 in 3 children still risks going to school on an empty stomach, which represents nearly 2 million children. Given the ongoing crisis, we are grateful to the companies that have stepped up to help address urgent needs.

Since December 2020, Breakfast Club of Canada (BCC) welcomed a new partner when Amazon Canada pledged an initial gift of $750,000 over a three years period. They immediately set out to go even further during the holiday season, donating an additional $500,000 to provide 250,000 breakfasts to Canadian children.

Breakfast Club of Canada - AmazonBCC is also grateful to be one of five Canadian charities invited to participate in Amazon Canada’s recent employee donation match program, in which the company matched 100% of employee donations resulting in an additional $150,000 for the Club.

All told, in 2020 alone, Amazon contributed close to $1 million to Breakfast Club of Canada, when their support was needed most. “Amazon cares deeply about the communities where our customers and employees live and work, and we share the Breakfast Club of Canada’s commitment to ensuring that children have the proper nutrition to get the most out of their school day. This national partnership will complement the local-level child nutrition and food relief programs we support in many Canadian communities, and we know that we can make a tremendous difference by working together,” said Jesse Dougherty, Amazon VP.

In response to COVID-19, Amazon has made a priority to support communities, employees, and partners across the country. The company’s commitment to hunger and homelessness – through its Right Now Needs Fund – is longstanding and transcends borders: Amazon is a dedicated supporter of causes like No Kid Hungry in the United States and Magic Breakfast in the United Kingdom.

In Canada, it also supports Vancouver child hunger charity Backpack Buddies and has donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Food Banks Alberta, Winnipeg Harvest, The Daily Bread Food Bank, True North Aid and Food Banks of Quebec, among others.

It truly takes a village to support children’s nutrition, and this is a step that will allow youth to start with the best chances. Breakfast Club of Canada is looking forward to keep working closely with Amazon in 2021 and beyond, to ensure that more children start the school day with a nutritious meal and an equal chance at success.

Partnership with La Cantine pour tous: Joining Forces to Promote School Nutrition!

Cantine Pour Tous

In recent years, we have sought to further anchor Breakfast Club of Canada’s programs in the community, favouring a joint approach with local stakeholders. Accordingly, the Club and La Cantine pour tous have established an innovative partnership to address the needs of several Montreal schools with a large student population but limited space. Both organizations are committed to promoting food security and healthy eating habits among students. We have therefore built on these values to pool our resources and expertise to set up new breakfast programs or expand existing ones.

 

This shared vision is consistent with the needs of many Montreal schools, including those served by the Pointe-de-l’Île School Services Centre (CSSPI), which do not have the space to accommodate the Club’s food shipments. In collaboration with CSSPI, we have developed an approach that takes these challenges into consideration. Inspired by this desire to work together and CSSPI’s flexibility and resourcefulness, we have forged ties with La Cantine pour tous and other local organizations. Six schools have since opened a breakfast program and others will soon be following in their footsteps.

 

La Cantine pour tous deals with a diverse network of catering organizations that specialize in the preparation and distribution of healthy meals. Because they are located close to the schools they serve, deliveries can be smaller and more frequent, making them easier to accommodate. La Cantine pour tous works with the Club to support the caterers in developing menus, preparing recipes, operationalizing selection and distribution activities, and more. As a result, schools can benefit from customized “home-cooked” meals, frequent deliveries, and a class-identified bin system, which makes the corresponding in-school storage and distribution logistics that much easier to handle.

 

Manon Pelletier, head of the breakfast program at Pierre de Coubertin Elementary School, recently surveyed her students to find out what they thought about the meals cooked by their assigned caterer, Mon Resto Saint-Michel. Their answer was loud and clear: they love them! And she is very satisfied with the relationship between the school, La Cantine pour tous and the Club. Likewise, Fatima Chouaiby of Mon Resto Saint-Michel says she is grateful for this arrangement. She credits the personal approach of the La Cantine pour tous team and the Club’s support for making the whole operation easier and more enjoyable. Buffet Insère-Jeunes and Fourchettes de L’Espoir also contribute to the breakfast programs and their involvement has been met with a similarly high level of satisfaction. Efforts are underway to collaborate with other organizations to get more programs up and running. For a complete list of the members of the La Cantine pour tous network, click here.

 

Through this partnership with La Cantine pour tous and its member organizations, Breakfast Club of Canada is successfully monitoring the strengths and resources of the community to respond to the needs of schools. We are thrilled to be working alongside such committed partners to create strong programs that help us increase food security and improve access to healthy food for our students.

OLLIE, THE BOY WHO BECAME WHAT HE ATE WANTS TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR PICKY EATERS!

Do you know Ollie, The Boy Who Became What He Ate? He’s a picky little boy who gets superpowers from new food he tries. His goal? Encouraging children to discover new food and to develop healthy eating habits. 

Ollie is the star of a TV series on CBC Kids as well as a book, all created and produced by Sheena Macrae. He is also generous, because all through December, you will have the opportunity to give breakfast to children attending a breakfast program in school. 

Buy your book here! 

Free activities for your class or your family! 

Breakfast Club of Canada is the charitable partner for Superpower Food Day by Ollie Club — the home of popular CBC show Ollie, The Boy Who Became What He Ate! Dec 2nd – Dec 4th, Ollie Club will launch free programming, lesson plans and educational activities for teachers across Canada and around the world — all available online.

Superpower Food Day is a Telus-funded, free virtual family event celebrating and helping kids learn about healthy foods. With Ollie, the five-year-old star of the animated CBC TV show as inspiration, Superpower Food Day encourages teachers, educators and parents to engage children in educational activities that spark interest in trying new and nutritious foods. Playing with your food has never been this enlightening!

Spearheading the Superpower Food movement is Sheena Macrae, Ollie creator, author and Executive Producer of Ollie, The Boy Who Became What He Ate. “Superpower Food Day is about making food fun for kids of all ages. My goal is to turn the kitchen into a classroom and the classroom into a kitchen. I hope that these free lessons help educators to turn their students into real food superheroes,” says Macrae.

Educators, teachers and homeschool parents are invited to register for Ollie Superpower Food Day to receive a week of Ollie-themed, teacher-created, free lesson plans and resources for pre-K to grade 1 children. The Ollie Club “classroom in a box” includes: 

  • Age-appropriate ready-made classes about healthy living.
  • Classes include learning about food, nutrition, literacy, health, dramatic arts, food sustainability, movement and meditation.
  • Fun, printable worksheets for your students.
  • Entertaining and educational pre-recorded activities and storytime.

From December 2nd — 4th, these ready-made classes are perfect for in-school or virtual classes to inspire learners. Dec 5th with Superpower Food Day as it continues with a full day of free virtual family activities and live entertainment, teachers are encouraged to share this information with parents and caregivers. 

When you register, you’re automatically entered to win one of 20 Ollie storybooks for your classroom.  Free to register here or on www.OllieClub.com