FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kiwanis Toronto donates $16,000 to help nourish children during Covid-19
Toronto – When we realized students weren’t going back to class because of Covid-19, the Kiwanis Club of Toronto (KCT) wondered how children who relied on their schools’ Student Nutrition Programs would get by. But as we worried, the Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS) got down to work designing and implementing its Food for Kids program! So, as part of a newly launched Community Champions Program, the Kiwanis Club of Toronto has directed $16,000 to TFSS, in addition to more than $75,000 in grants to other local charities in the city.
The Food for Kids program gets $50 grocery cards (approximate cost of 30 breakfasts) out to children in eligible schools who would normally access nutrition at their Student Nutrition Programs. Working closely with school boards and other partners, TFSS launched the Food for Kids Covid-19 response in late March. Volunteers from KPMG designed and implemented an on-line application process and donors from right across our city stepped up to the plate so that more than 90,000, cards have been mailed out to date.
“Kiwanis Toronto is a century-old service club with a long history of helping children and youth in our city and with food security one of the biggest concerns in Toronto right now, we wanted to find a way to help. TFSS’s program “hit the nail on the head” for us. They didn’t have to ask us – we just knew it was the right place to put our money,” explained Andrea Simpson, KCT Foundation Chair.
The summer is here and children still need nourishment, so the TFSS will now begin Phase 2 of the Food for Kids program to get additional support out to children. Their reach depends on the amount of funding they receive, and support from donors is needed.
“Fundraising during this pandemic is very challenging. There is so much need and we know that our regular donors are stretched. This generous donation from the Kiwanis Club of Toronto was an amazing surprise. We were so happy that our work spoke for itself,” exclaimed TFSS Executive Director Catherine Parsonage. “The KCT’s donation allowed us to provide 320 students with grocery cards.”
“Kiwanis Toronto hopes other services clubs and companies looking to help children will consider making a donation to TFSS. The work they are doing is remarkable. Their staff are working around the clock. They are determined to help feed our city’s children,” stated Simpson. Kiwanis will continue to monitor the needs of the TFSS and other local charities in Toronto in the coming months and help where they can.
KCT’s Foundation is accepting donations for distribution to local children’s charities at: https://www.torontokiwanis.ca/
To donate directly to TFSS, go to: https://tfss.ca/donate/
CONTACT:
Andrea Simpson
Chair, Foundation Board
Kiwanis Club of Toronto (KCT)
647-982-2506
andrealeannesimpson@gmail.com
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