Helping Hands Coast-to-Coast for Canadian Students

STAPLES CONTRIBUTES TO CANADIAN CHARITIES SO THAT CHILDREN MAY HAVE A POSITIVE HEAD START

Canada is a rich country, isn’t it, where our children all begin with a leg up, especially in school?
If you labour under that basic misconception, consider the following facts:
 

• Edmonton’s Tools for Schools (United Way) program provides full backpacks of school supplies for needy students in 14 educational divisions and in some regions of the Alberta capital, the need for backpacks filled with school supplies is as high as 8 in 10 students;


• For the start of the 2013 school year, more than 8,849 school kits were discreetly and respectfully distributed to students in need in the capital of one of Canada’s richest provinces;


• The number of children in vulnerable areas who may arrive at school without having eaten is steadily increasing. In fact, there are Breakfast Clubs in 1,266 Canadian schools, and each morning before school starts, volunteers welcome close to 130,000 school kids for a pre-class meal


• In Canada, one out of seven children goes to school on an empty stomach. That’s almost one million children. In First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, the figure rises to one in four children, and the risk is 2.5 times higher among immigrants and newcomers than in the general population


• Every morning before school starts, volunteers don their aprons and flash their best smiles to welcome 18,000 bed-headed kids and serve more than 2,500,000 breakfasts during the school year. Last year alone, these volunteers served close to 21 million breakfasts during the school year.


• Teaching staff report an additional 30 minutes of effective teaching time every day thanks to the Breakfast Club



 
“Study after study has shown the concrete benefits of a wholesome morning meal on students’ concentration, attitude and predisposition to learn,” emphasized Daniel Germain, President and Founder of the Breakfast Club of Canada. “But, sadly, too many kids still go without.”
 
Yes, Canada is a rich country, but. . .
 
That is why corporate Canada is involved, and especially why Staples, the country’s acknowledged leader in Back-to-School, feels impelled to contribute to the welfare of our 11 million students, both by raising money and school supplies in its stores across the country and online at Staples.
 
“Tomorrow’s leaders are today’s top students, and today’s top students are those who can go to school fully equipped and not worrying about where their next meal is coming from,” said Steve Matyas, president of Staples Canada. “Staples and Bureau en Gros stores are involved closely in both programs because we recognize that the need is there and must be addressed. As a caring corporate citizen, it’s our duty and responsibility to help out and work with a large number of charities to make sure that all of our children start off on an equal basis.”
 
Community agencies, educational institutions, corporate supporters, the general public and the media come together in the pursuit of a common goal in Tools for Schools, a program of United Way of the Alberta Capital Region−one of the 240 charities across Canada supported by the Annual Staples School Supply Drive.
 
The Breakfast Club of Canada, headquartered in the Montreal suburb of Boucherville, QC, is a non-profit organization that provides funding, equipment, food, training and services to school breakfast programs across Canada. With its motto of Breakfast, the first bite to success it is dedicated to ensuring that students start their day with a wholesome meal in a stimulating environment, thus providing adequate learning conditions for all children.
 
Those interested in making a donation need only do so at their neighbourhood Staples outlet during the Back-to-School shopping season−or shop online at Staples.
 
For more information on Staples’ Annual School Supply Drive visit Staples School Supply Drive