Calgary Co-op plans to take part in the 2024 Toonies for Tummies campaign organized by the Grocery Foundation. With the addition of this banner, the Foundation says close to 1,500 stores across the country will be participating in the campaign, including 42 sponsors who have also signed on.
“We are proud to be working with Toonies for Tummies to directly support children in schools across Calgary. All children should have access to a nutritious breakfast and through this campaign, we can do our part to make sure children start the day with a full stomach. We look forward to launching this new campaign at Calgary Co-op locations and to the extended support it will offer those in our community,” says Ken Keelor, CEO, Calgary Co-op.
#Toonies4Tummies is made possible by participating retailers and sponsors. It supports student nutrition programs in schools across multiple provinces and raises awareness for supporting organizations. It provided hundreds of thousands of healthy snacks and meals because of the campaign, which includes multi-media marketing elements and store activations driven by participating retailers and their store teams. Besides the turnkey public relations and social media-focused communications, sponsors also benefit from brand visibility in flyers and on shelf.
#Toonies4Tummies ensures 100 percent of shopper donations made in-store stay in the local community. Currently, 3,000 programs are being helped through the most recent (2023) campaign. Shoppers can track their toonie on a campaign microsite that spotlights the participating retailers and sponsors together with stories that underscore the impact of donations. It’s estimated one in three children in Canada are at risk of going to school on an empty stomach.
“Hunger among school-aged children is not only a persistent and troubling issue but also on the rise,” says Shaun McKenna, executive director of The Grocery Foundation. “Our mission is that no child in Canada faces the bleak reality of trying to learn on an empty stomach. With more retailer and sponsor partners, signing on each year our impact continues to grow and is needed more than ever.”
