FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2003

Thank you to McDonald's!
On Friday, March 21, 2003, the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board will say Thank you to area McDonalds Family Restaurants for supporting Food for Learning programs in our local schools.

In the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board more than 3,500 students benefit daily from the Food for Learning program. The program provides students with nutritional snacks and breakfast. Research tells us that good nutrition is needed to ensure learning, “kids need to nourish their bodies before they can begin nourishing their minds…”

In September 2002, McDonald’s and Breakfast for Learning began a partnership. McDonald’s restaurants across Ontario donate 10 cents from every coffee sold on Friday mornings to Breakfast for Learning programs. The partnership has provided a greater awareness of breakfast and snack programs at schools and significant financial support for nutritional programs across Ontario – including, Food for Learning programs throughout the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board.

To say Thank you for the tremendous support of the local Food for Learning, Principals, Vice Principals, Teachers, Educational Assistants and program volunteers will join McDonald’s staff at our five, regional locations in Belleville, Picton, and Trenton for breakfast. The team of volunteers will be serving coffee and greeting morning visitors as our way of saying Thank you to McDonald’s restaurants and their customers.

For more information, contact:
• Marg Thompson, Food for Learning Committee, 966-9491 x2308
• Kellie Brace, Food for Learning Co-ordinator 966-9491x2232

Backgrounder on Breakfast for Learning
Breakfast for Learning is national program that was started in 1992 and is designed to provide proper nourishment for children attending school. The Breakfast for Learning program has helped serve over 140 million meals to children across Canada and also offers nutrition education/ information to children and their parents.

Research shows that many children do not receive the proper nutrition because of rushed or early mornings, bus traveling, as well as poverty. For those reasons 31% of elementary students and 62% of high school students do not eat a nutritious breakfast before school.

Breakfast for Learning programs were developed to address this need and to assist with nutritional awareness and the need for good nutrition in the learning process.

The Foundation is the only national, non-profit organization solely dedicated to supporting child nutrition in Canada.