ONEXONE First Nations School Breakfast Program
First Nations children suffer the greatest levels of poverty among all children in Canada. 40% of First Nations children live in poverty as compared to national average of 17% of children. (source: Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives, 2013)
FOOD INSECURITY IN FIRST NATIONS COMMUNITIES IS AT A STAGGERING 33.3%,
WHILE 14.4% ARE SEVERELY FOOD INSECURE.
In remote communities, this number is often higher. Children do not always know where they will find their next meal and they are unable to consistently access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for a healthy life.
This situation negatively affects children’s school performance, academic achievement, behavioral and cognitive development, and it weakens these children’s immune systems putting the children at greater risk of illness.
ONEXONE is committed to increasing nutrition, food literacy, and scholastic success in First Nations Communities.
ONEXONE FIRST NATIONS SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM:
600,000 BALANCED BREAKFASTS EACH YEAR.
The ONEXONE First Nations School Breakfast Program was developed in partnership with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and Pepsi Co Canada with the goal of ensuring the availability of healthy food to all First Nations children in the school setting.
Approximately 80% of the schools that participate in this program are located in remote communities where food costs are the highest in Canada. ONEXONE provides the funding and logistical support to sustain the high food transportation costs to remote areas where fresh fruits and vegetables are exorbitantly expensive. Some of these remote communities are only accessible by air transport and a winter road system. Food must therefore be flown in on small planes, or transported by truck over winter roads, which are open approximately 60-90 days per year.
The ONEXONE First Nations School Breakfast Program provides breakfast for children each school day. Children receive a minimum of three of the four food groups in accordance with the manual Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide – First Nations, Inuit and Métis. PepsiCo, through its Quaker and Dole brands, donates Dole 100% Juice, Quaker Oatmeal, Quaker Ready-to-Eat instant, and breakfast bars and the program provides funding for fresh produce, guidance on risk management procedures for safe food handling and nutrition support through ONEXONE’s staff.
In the 2014-2015 school year, ONEXONE supported over 4,500 children from 30 First Nations communities across Canada. This means that ONEXONE donated over 600,000 balanced breakfasts. This is something that we are incredibly proud of but there are many more First Nations children in remote communities who are still at risk of hunger.
The ONEXONE First Nations School Breakfast Program has had overwhelmingly positive results since it was first implemented in October 2008.
The healthy meals provided to children at the start of each school day have had a positive impact on learning, creativity, test grades, and even attendance.
Please join us in making a difference and fight child hunger in our First Nations communities, one by one.