The Breakfast Club of Canada announced this morning in a press release that they are setting up an emergency fund to support breakfast programs, and community organizations to help Canadian families and children in need during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Breakfast Club of Canada, which provides food to about 250,000 children and youth in almost 2,000 schools throughout the country, said that they would need at $5 million to meet the needs of children during the pandemic.
“Right now, we need to do everything we can to honour the pledge we made to children 25 years ago and make sure they get the nutrition they need to grow up healthy,” Daniel Germain, the president and founder of Breakfast Club of Canada, said. “We have built a strong network over time and we will be putting it to work now for their benefit.”
Backed by its network of corporate partners, the Club is setting up an emergency fund to support breakfast program enrollees and local community organizations. Learn more: https://t.co/sRVYPWnkom #FeedKidsNow #COVIDCanada
— BreakfastClubCanada (@BreakfastCanada) March 20, 2020
According to the press release from the Breakfast Club of Canada, the fund will go towards helping food-insecure families, including Indigenous families. The food will also be distributed by community organizations that will make sure the food is handled properly to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Some organizations have already donated to the fund. Kellogg Canada donated $150,000, Belair Direct and Intact insurance donated $500,000, Danone donated $200,000, and National Bank donated $50,000.
”We feel that in these challenging times, children in Canada need us more than ever,” Dan Magliocco, the president of Danone Canada, said. “Together with our employees across Canada, Danone believes that we can use our business as a force for good to help feed hungry children and provide them with an access to healthy food.”
As of Friday, there were 924 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Canada, 12 deaths, and 11 recoveries.
With files from CBC News
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