When local children and youth don’t have enough food at home, there are some student nutrition programs available during the school year. But when the school year comes to a close, Every Breakfast Counts steps in to fill the gap.
The program was started in 2018 to support kids in the Sault Ste. Marie community who access student nutrition programs, so that they can still have access to meals from June—August. It is an 100% volunteer-run endeavour that runs solely on donations. This past year, Every Breakfast Counts served 10,000 meals.
“We know that if some of these kids didn’t have the nutrition programs in school, they wouldn’t have lunches or breakfasts,” says Paige Linklater, foundation manager of Algoma Family Services Foundation, one of the program’s partners that helps run its operations.
Every Breakfast Counts is facilitated by their committee, which comprises of Algoma Family Services Foundation, the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Sault Ste. Marie District Social Services, Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, Child Care Algoma, Indigenous Friendship Centre, Harvest Algoma, and more. The food is prepped daily in Harvest Algoma’s warehouse, and volunteers from those partner organizations come in to help pack lunches and deliver to hubs across the city. Usually each of the organizations takes a week to volunteer with the program.
Every Breakfast Counts hubs are all over the city in key locations, including the library. The meals are dropped off at the various hubs and can be accessed during the week, between Monday—Friday.
Currently, the program has enough donations to run for one year. Their total spend in 2024 was almost $40,000, with an increase in their food costs due to recent grocery price increases. Paige says that monetary donations are the best way to support Every Breakfast Counts, with 100% of all donated funds going to purchasing food and supplies.
Paige says that Sault Ste. Marie has been “amazing” with their support of Every Breakfast Counts. “The last time we did a large call to action, we were able to support the program for three years,” she says.
“The community has been very generous in helping to support this program. They see the need and they understand that without donations, this program doesn’t function.”
This feature was donated by Arthur Funeral Home – Barton Kiteley Chapel. Paige and everyone at Every Breakfast Counts would like to send a sincere thank you and express their appreciation to this local business for being great community supporters.
The Algoma Family Services Foundation holds all the money for Every Breakfast Counts.
To donate to the program, visit here and select Every Breakfast Counts from the dropdown menu.
Donors can also drop off monetary donations in-person to the Algoma Family Services office at 205 McNabb St, Sault Ste. Marie. Please write in the cheque’s memo section that the funds are for Every Breakfast Counts.