1 Million Children Will Go Back to School... Without Breakfast

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Sept. 6, 2016) - While back to school season is a source of excitement for some children, for others, it's a necessity. The fact is, every day, 1 in 5 children in Canada-that's nearly 1 million-are at risk of going to school hungry. It's hard to believe that in a country as developed as Canada, there are enough children to fill the equivalent of 20,833 school buses who start their day on an empty stomach! Factors such as lack of time, lack of appetite or simply because the fridge is empty, all come into play.

Daniel Germain, President and Founder of Breakfast Club of Canada, denounces this situation: "We live in a beautiful country, but we don't see this poverty. Probably because it's easier not to see it."

It's for this reason that the Club has fought for more than 20 years to offer these vulnerable children a full, nutritious breakfast. Given that 60% of the day's learning is done in the morning, breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day for students. Offering them a healthy meal in a safe and nurturing environment, a place where they feel respected, has been linked to improved behaviour and concentration. It goes so far as to help them have better grades, enhanced social skills, more confidence when interacting with peers and adults, increased interest in school subjects and a decrease in bullying at school.

"The right thing to do," says Mr. Germain, "is to make sure all children have an equal opportunity to succeed and dream big. Children are our present; they need our support now."

Nationally, 170,000 breakfasts are served on a daily basis. This adds up to 27 million breakfasts a year, in more than 1,455 schools from coast to coast to coast, made possible thanks to the invaluable collaboration of the Club's financial partners. However, serving this many breakfasts every day of the school year remains a significant financial challenge.

This back-to-school season, Breakfast Club of Canada is asking people to show their generosity to help reduce, if not eliminate, the number of children who still start the school day on an empty stomach. For more information about the Club or to donate online, go to www.breakfastclubcanada.org. You can also support the Club during the back-to-school campaigns.

About the Breakfast Club of Canada

For 20 years, Breakfast Club of Canada has been nourishing children's potential by making sure as many of them as possible have access to a healthy morning meal before school, in an environment that allows their self-esteem to grow and flourish. But the Club is much more than a breakfast program: we take a broader approach that promotes the core values of engagement, enrichment and empowerment, and we team up with communities and local partners to develop solutions adapted to their specific needs. Operating from coast to coast, the Breakfast Club of Canada helps feed 170,000 students every day in 1,455 schools.