Our Vision:
No child should go to school hungry in Canada
Our Mission:
To get food to hungry children
Every Child Deserves Healthy Nourishment
Our mission is simple – and urgent: to help ensure that the 1 in 3 children in Canada who arrive at school hungry¹ begin each school day nourished physically and emotionally and ready to learn, grow, thrive and succeed – no matter their circumstances.
Why Make Happy Tummies™ Matters
Hunger doesn’t just affect a child’s morning.
It affects their focus, their confidence, and their future.
Student nutrition delivers one of the highest and most lasting returns in education, reaching children every school day, at the exact moment when learning and development take shape.
By meeting students where they already are, school nutrition programs do more than fill empty stomachs. They strengthen learning, support lifelong health, and open doors to opportunity—both inside and far beyond the classroom.
1 in 3 children in Canada arrive at school hungry1
30% increase in the number of children served in existing breakfast programs4
800,000+ students who need support from school breakfast programs still lack access 5
Make Happy Tummies: Powered by Partnership
Built on decades of impact supporting children across Canada, Make Happy Tummies is guided by a simple belief: every child deserves a healthy start to their day.
Thanks to the commitment of grocery, food, beverage, and consumer product companies, restaurants, corporate partners, and individual donors, the program turns shared values into action—helping children who arrive at school hungry in communities across the country.
By funding local school nutrition programs, Make Happy Tummies (formerly Toonies for Tummies™) ensures more children start each day nourished, energized, and ready to learn, grow, and thrive.
Made possible by donors like you.
100% of donations go directly to local school breakfast programs2
3,000+ breakfast programs rely on donations from Make Happy Tummies3
Our expansion into Quebec has enabled us to deliver 49,000 meals this year and 49,000 more in 2026
It’s impossible for us to run a children’s breakfast program without donations. To anyone donating, I say you get the best value for your money. The money is going directly to the food and to the kids. Their nutritional needs are met in the morning, which in turn meets their social-emotional needs, and they are ready for learning. Obviously, they will be doing better. There is no question about that.
Principal Baul
Many middle school students are still young and growing, yet often hesitant to ask for help or say they’re hungry. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, this program meets them where they are—with dignity. Families don’t have to self-identify as struggling, and for many children, breakfast is the most nutritious, balanced meal of their day, giving parents peace of mind and students a stronger start.
The impact goes far beyond breakfast. While it can be measured in numbers, what’s harder to measure—and far more invaluable—is the real, lasting difference made in students’ lives.
Principal Gunasingham
We Are Better Together
Chasing dreams should be part of every child’s day. Going without breakfast shouldn’t be. Help us provide meals that help children thrive.
Community Fundraisers
Learn more about our most recent initiatives and their impact in communities across Canada.
Our Charitable Status
Charitable Foundation of the Ontario Grocery Industry operating as The Grocery Foundation is a non-profit Foundation registered in the province of Ontario (Canada), established in 1979. Charitable Registration Number: 12697 6711 RR0001.
Since our inception in 1979, we’ve raised over $100M that has benefited children across Canada.
References:
1. 1 in 3 children in Canada say they are feeling hungry when arriving at school almost every day. – Source: Breakfast Club of Canada 2. Online remains in province donated 3. Formerly Toonies for Tummies 4. Source: https://www.breakfastclubcanada.org/press-room/back-to-school-hunger-hits-classrooms-across-canada