A $5-million donation from Pembina Pipeline will help the Breakfast Club of Canada continue to feed hundreds of students in Cochrane and area and thousands more across the country.
Benjamin Neumer, development advisor for Breakfast Club of Canada, called the five-year commitment – $1 million annually – from Pembina Pipeline “transformational,” saying it will allow the program to operate in more schools and ensure more children don’t attend school hungry. “It’s going to have a huge impact on the lives of these children.”
Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline approached the Breakfast Club of Canada with a goal of contributing to a program that betters the lives of people in the communities where it operates.
“The donation gives them the ability to facilitate access to these schools that contribute to bettering the communities they operate in,” said Neumer.
“It goes beyond making sure that kids get enough to eat, which is absolutely essential. Through our partnership with Breakfast Club of Canada, we’re also able to help move the needle on a major social issue that impacts everything from education to wellness, and I’m very proud that Pembina continues to step up to the plate and deliver on our commitment to communities, “ stated Jaret Sprott, Pembina’s senior vice-president and chief operating officer, facilities, executive sponsor of Fuel 4 Thought and volunteer with the program.
Currently, the breakfast program is available in three Cochrane schools and feeds 260 students with another 140 students accessing it in three more schools in the region.
Schools apply for the program based on need and Neumer said students don’t have to specifically apply or meet an eligibility requirement to participate, saying that ensures the program remains positive and eliminates the risk of stigmatizing the children who participate.
Aside from ensuring students attend class on a full stomach, the breakfast program also fosters healthy lifestyles.
Neumer said the program works with nutritionists to provide healthy and quality food options.
“Students learn healthy eating which is a great life skill to have,” he said, adding those skills might not be taught at home for a variety of reasons.
The Breakfast Club of Canada has been in operation since 1994 and operates from coast to coast, helping to feed more than 220,000 students every day in 1,643 schools.
Alberta benefits
• More than 8,000 Alberta children benefit from a breakfast program.
• Breakfast Club of Canada supports 127 breakfast programs in Alberta, including 31 in schools with an Indigenous population of 40% or more.
• Pembina’s commitment will help sustain the Club’s existing programs and support the opening of new ones.
• Since beginning the partnership in 2016, Pembina’s contribution to Breakfast Club of Canada has reached a grand total of $6.5 million.
