7th Annual Breakfast Food Drive

We created this Breakfast Food Drive to supplement the hot breakfast program provided to students at William Whyte School - a K-8 school with approximately 250 students, located at 200 Powers St and Magnus Ave. The hot breakfast programs help students kick start their day off right.

Over the years, we have collected and delivered truckloads of non-perishable breakfast food items to the breakfast program at William Whyte School - helping them stock their pantry for winter with items such as cereals, oatmeal, juice, dried fruit, apple sauce, pancake mix and so much more!

They depend on our generosity more than ever and you can help us make a difference!

The Wish List

We are collecting non-perishable breakfast foods like:

• Cereal

• Oatmeal

• Granola

• Juice

• Canned & dried fruit

• Powdered milk

• Pancake mix

• Muffin mix

But everything helps.

Why William Whyte School?

We first found out about the need for donations for this breakfast program back in 2017, in an article in the Free Press reporting that the school’s need for food had already outstripped their funding by the middle of November. Since then, we have continued stocking their shelves and usually deliver about 4-6 car loads of donations each year thanks to this Breakfast Food Drive.

Who are the kids at William Whyte School?

• the majority of students at William Whyte are Indigenous

• most students come from single parent/guardian family structures

• one in seven students live in the care of child and family services

• most of the families in the William Whyte catchment area live below the low income cut-off

How does the breakfast program work?

It's actually more than just a breakfast program. William Whyte School provides their kids with a hot breakfast every school day, but they also provide bi-monthly hampers to struggling families with a combination of purchased food and food they receive from Winnipeg Harvest. When they notice that a child isn't bringing lunch to school, or returning to school after going home for lunch not having eaten, they provide lunch as well. They also send lunch home to any student who knows there's nothing at home in the cupboard.

What do the kids like to eat?

This program is run by the school's nutrition coordinator, who plans the menus. The kids love a variety menu items, such as pancakes, cereal (especially Cheerios), fruit, and granola.

Who funds this program?

They receive funding from the Child Nutrition Council. The school has told us that the provincial government does give some funding but hasn’t committed to making it fully available. Until then, the support from generous donors like us are meaningful, tangible contributions to helping the next generation of Manitobans. Our donations are very much appreciated at William Whyte School.

How is the budget looking for the 2023/24 school year?

The rising cost of groceries has had a big impact on the budget forecast. Overall food costs have risen more than 10% this year, with costs of milk and cereal leading the price increases. That kind of price increase represents a full month or more of food for the entire school! Every little bit that we can donate will help them stretch their budget to feed the students.

How can I help?

Please drop off a non-perishable food donation before Dec 17th to any of the various drop-off spots listed below, or at any of our open houses.

Cash donations are also greatly appreciated, with a tax receipt provided by the Children’s Heritage Fund. Please make a cheque out to Children’s Heritage Foundation and in the memo of the cheque note that it is for William Whyte Community School, and mail to:

The Winnipeg School Division
Admin #1 Building, 1577 Wall Street East
Winnipeg, MB R3E 2S5

Collection Locations

Donations can be made at any of the following locations from November 29th to December 17th, 2023

Food donation drop-off's are also accepted at all of The Moore Group Open Houses from November 29th to December 17th, 2023

Click here to find an open house or follow us on instagram @themooregroup where open houses are posted each Friday!

The food drive over the years