According to the Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba, more than 6,000 children and youth served through local nutrition programs last year would not otherwise have eaten breakfast or lunch. Many children and youth in Winnipeg are not having their nutritional requirements met.

• 31% of elementary and 62% of secondary students do not eat breakfast every day
• 50% of school-aged boys and 65% of school-aged girls report eating fruit five days a week or more
• 50% of boys and girls do not drink enough milk

Childhood obesity is also increasing at epidemic proportions. Obesity is directly linked to chronic issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and lower life expectancy. In Canada, for children ages 7-13:

• 1/3 of boys and more than 1/4 of girls are overweight
• 10% of boys and 9% of girls are obese

A gift to the Nourishing Potential Fund will support child and youth nutrition programs in Winnipeg and improve the health of children in our community.

Make your gift through our secure online donate site:
Make your gift by phone:
Please call The Foundation office at (204) 944.9474 or toll-free 1.877.974.3631 (outside Winnipeg)

Make your gift by mail:

Nourishing Potential Fund
The Winnipeg Foundation
1350 One Lombard Place
Winnipeg, MB, R3B 0X3

The Child Nutrition Council of Manitoba funds nutrition programs in schools across the province. In 2009, it reported reaching 13,000 children through more than 500 programs. It distributed more than $840,000 to support nutrition initiatives, less than a third of the $2.9 million it received in requests. In 2007, the Moffat Family Fund, held at The Winnipeg Foundation, announced its commitment to spend $675,000 over five years to augment the Council’s granting.

In the addition to the well-documented need for breakfast and lunch programs, The Winnipeg Foundation receives several hundred grant applications every year seeking financial support for projects aimed at children and youth. These grants include after-school programming, summer day camps, family literacy or arts programs, early childhood development centres and sporting activities in less advantaged neighbourhoods. Augmenting our grants with a nutrition allowance offers countless opportunities for meaningful impact.

Winnipeg Foundation staff are regularly in contact with community agencies that serve the needs of children and youth. In addition to the on-going opportunity to understand the challenges of this work, we have specifically discussed their concerns about nutrition programming. Regrettably, charitable agencies report that the need is immediate and constant.

Within the voluntary sector, it is generally agreed that food security must be a matter of public policy. Nutrition programs offered by community agencies cannot substitute for the appropriate levels of social assistance that only government can provide. However, there will always be a role for philanthropy. Generous people can certainly make a difference in the quality of life enjoyed by others and nowhere is this impact greater than with children and youth.

In a recent survey conducted by Probe Research, 600 Winnipeggers were asked to rank a variety of Foundation priorities, including downtown green spaces, family literacy and the Manitoba Children’s Museum. By far, the public preference was support for nutrition programs, with 76% responding that it was either a high priority or the top priority.