TORONTO, October 3, 2008 – One out of three children in Toronto live in poverty and more than 83,000 Toronto District School Board (TDSB) students rely on breakfast, snack and lunch programs to make it through the day. The Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS), an arms length charity of the TDSB, will be hosting a week of events dedicated to feeding hungry students and hungry minds.
Mayor David Miller has proclaimed October 6 to 10 as Feeding Toronto’s Hungry Students Week. A week that will see student volunteers, TDSB staff, TFSS supporters, politicians and public figures raising awareness and collecting pledges to help feed Toronto’s hungry students.
“Feeding Toronto’s Hungry Students Week is a significant event and we all need to be involved. It provides an opportunity for students to get out in their communities and help raise awareness for child hunger. As educators, we know that hungry children cannot learn. Raising awareness and seeking solutions together, allows us to better support the emotional and physical needs of all our students,” said TDSB Director of Education, Gerry Connelly.
There will be several events held throughout the week with the overall goal being to increase awareness, raise funds, and to encourage a healthy and active lifestyle.
- On Monday, October 6, the Sprott Asset Management Feeding Our Future Program, a universal breakfast program for youth in a group of schools in the Jane/Finch area will be launched at Emery Collegiate. Students in the special needs class will prepare a morning meal for all the students in the school. This universal morning meal program is the first of its kind in Ontario.
- After school on Monday, October 6, Tuesday, October 7 and Thursday, October 9, TDSB students will be in 14 subway stations across Toronto collecting donations in support of the city’s more than 83,000 hungry students.
- In early morning of Friday, October 10, Union Station commuters will be caught by surprise when breakfast donated by Canada Bread will be served-up on Front Street by student volunteers.
- TDSB students and staff will lace up their running shoes on Sunday, October 12 to participate in End The Marathon of Child Hunger as part of the 5 kilometre walk/run Toronto Marathon.
Chair of the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, David Appel, said, “It’s simple – hungry kids can’t learn. There are young people coming to school who have eaten nothing the day before. We need the support of the Toronto community to be able to provide these much needed nutrition programs for the students who need them.”
The Toronto Foundation for Student Success supports of 500 nutrition programs in schools and community sites across Toronto with 16 million dollars needed each school year to meet the nutritional standards set by municipal and provincial guidelines. The Toronto Foundation for Student Success knows it is impossible for children to learn when they are affected by hunger, violence, or poverty.
TDSB is the largest school board in Canada. The Board’s mission is to enable all students to reach high levels of achievement and to acquire the knowledge, skills and values they need to become responsible members of a democratic society.
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For more information, please contact:
Kelly Baker, Communications and Public Affairs
Toronto District School Board
416-395-2721
kelly.baker@tdsb.on.ca