IKEA Canada extends partnership with Breakfast Club of Canada to support childhood development in communities from coast-to-coast

For each breakfast sold at IKEA Canada through the month of November, $1 will be donated to Breakfast Club of Canada

BURLINGTON, ON, Nov. 1, 2017 /CNW/ - IKEA Canada is pleased to announce it will continue its partnership with Breakfast Club of Canada, supporting childhood development and ensuring even more children have access to a healthy morning meal in each of the communities where it operates. Following the success of the program in its first year, this November IKEA will donate $1 for every breakfast sold at IKEA restaurants across Canada, up to a maximum $150,000.

"We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Breakfast Club of Canada, an organization that shares our belief that children are the most important people in the world," said Brendan Seale, Sustainability Manager, IKEA Canada. "With one in five children in Canada at risk of going to school on an empty stomach, our partnership will continue to ensure many more children have access to start the day with a healthy meal and are ready to learn."

The partnership between IKEA Canada and Breakfast Club of Canada will help operate existing school breakfast programs, while also helping to establish new programs in areas of critical need including First Nations communities. In addition, the partnership will see IKEA donate cooking and eating products and contribute through volunteerism initiatives. Co-workers can support their local Breakfast Club by volunteering to serve breakfast regularly or by packing breakfast bags for delivery to nearby schools.            

"We thank our national partner IKEA for allowing the Club to reach more communities every year." says Daniel Germain, Founding President, Breakfast Club of Canada. "As a result, more Canadian children will have access to not only breakfast but to an equal opportunity at success, in the classroom and in their lives."

Throughout the past year, IKEA Canada donated approximately $120,000 to Breakfast Club of Canada in food, home furnishings and financial contributions. In total, IKEA Canada has so far helped feed over 20,000 children, packed over 4,000 breakfast bags and engaged approximately 1000 co-workers to volunteer.

ABOUT IKEA CANADA
IKEA Group is a leading home furnishing retailer with 343 stores in more than 28 countries worldwide, which are visited by 783 million people every year. IKEA Canada has 13 stores, an eCommerce virtual store, six Pick-up and order points and 13 Collection Points. The company also announced plans to open new stores in Quebec City and London, Ontario. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 28 million visitors to its stores and 88 million visitors to the IKEA.ca website. Founded in 1943, IKEA's business philosophy is to offer a wide range of products of good design and function at prices so low, the majority of people can afford them. For more information on IKEA Canada, please visit: www.IKEA.ca.

ABOUT BREAKFAST CLUB OF CANADA
For 23 years, Breakfast Club of Canada has been nourishing children's potential by making sure as many of them as possible have access to a healthy morning meal before school, in an environment that allows their self-esteem to grow and flourish. But the Club is much more than a breakfast program: we take a broader approach that promotes the core values of engagement, enrichment and empowerment, and we team up with communities and local partners to develop solutions adapted to their specific needs. Operating from coast to coast, the Breakfast Club of Canada helps feed more than 203,000 students every day in 1,598 schools.

SOURCE IKEA Canada