Boucherville, August 19, 2025 – As thousands of students are heading back to class, a harsh reality emerges: Breakfast Club of Canada, the country’s largest school food provider, is witnessing a record number of children attending supported breakfast programs. Indeed, nearly one in two children in Québec affirm arriving at school feeling hungry almost every day[1]. Faced with this reality, the organization is launching a fundraising campaign and calling on Quebecers to join the solidarity movement to feed children.

In the context of rising food insecurity, soaring food prices, increased cost of living and the burden of tariffs, families across Quebec are facing impossible choices which directly impact the well-being of children and their capacity to learn. Since 2019, the proportion of children living in a food-insecure household in Québec has risen from 19.8% to nearly 28% in 2024[2], highlighting a concerning increase in recent years. Despite recent commitments by the Government of Quebec, this crisis is creating considerable pressure on schools and organizations such as the Club, which are being called upon more than ever.

“Behind these numbers lies immense potential: talents, voices and dreams at risk due to a lack of access to nutritious food. Breakfast programs are not a universal solution to today’s challenges, but they remain a beneficial intervention for thousands of students throughout the school year,” says Tommy Kulczyk, President and CEO of Breakfast Club of Canada. “Every child deserves an equal chance to succeed, no matter their circumstances,” he adds.

A seat at the table for equality

Breakfast Club of Canada and its community partners have seen an average 20% increase in the number of children served in existing breakfast programs over the past few years, across all regions of the province. Today in Quebec, nearly 99,000 children benefit from a nutritious breakfast through over 600 school nutrition programs supported by the Club and its partners, and demand continues to grow. “We recognize the efforts made by the Government of Quebec, particularly through the National School Food Program, which have played an important role in helping schools meet growing needs. Despite these advances, support from all sectors is essential to maintain and expand assistance to ensure every child has the energy to learn,” says Judith Barry, Co-Founder and Director of Government Relations at Breakfast Club of Canada. “Whether in urban centres or remote regions, all students deserve access to nutritious school food to support their development and learning. This is an issue that concerns us all,” she adds. Indeed, the Club has observed that one in three schools in Quebec identifies access to healthy, affordable food as a major daily challenge.

Education is essential. So is nutritious food. Let’s choose to feed children well at school.

Proud of its 30-year history, Breakfast Club of Canada is proud to place local producers and processors at the heart of its supply chain, providing children with local, sustainable and nutritious food. From its distribution centre in Varennes, the Club and its partners help reach children and communities in all of Québec’s administrative regions. Supporting a range of operational models through its network of Québec partners, the Club is committed to continuing this support and ensuring that nutritional offerings are complete, including access to all three categories of Canada’s Food Guide (protein foods, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains), while also promoting communities’ food sovereignty.

Breakfast Club of Canada is inviting Quebecers to join the solidarity movement and believe in the power of breakfast. Starting today, anyone can help a child reach their full potential by texting “CLUB” to 20222 or by donating at breakfastclubcanada.org/back-to-school.

For this important fundraising campaign, Breakfast Club of Canada can also count on the generosity of Les Producteurs de lait du Québec, which will double donations until October 31, 2025. To raise awareness, ads will be broadcast online and across social media throughout the campaign. Together, let’s help children reach their full potential.

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About Breakfast Club of Canada

Since 1994, Breakfast Club of Canada has been working with partners from all sectors to help children access a nutritious breakfast and reach their full potential. Accredited by Imagine Canada for its effective governance and recognized by Aliments du Québec au menu for its promotion of local food products, the Club helps reach children in every province and territory across the country. To learn more, visit breakfastclubcanada.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

SOURCE: Breakfast Club of Canada

[1] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2019). Child well-being outcomes. Consulted on June 3, 2025

[2] Statistique Canada. Tableau 13-10-0835-01  Insécurité alimentaire selon certaines caractéristiques démographiques – DOI : https://doi.org/10.25318/1310083501-fra