President's Choice® Children's Charity Grants $866,000 to Breakfast for Learning to benefit Atlantic Canada nutrition programs

BRAMPTON, ON, Oct. 11, 2012 /CNW/ - President's Choice^® Children's Charity is pleased to announce that it has granted over $866,000 to Breakfast for Learning to help kids in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland get the nutrition they need to grow and thrive.  The grant, to be distributed by Breakfast for Learning, will support breakfast, snack and lunch programs, including the purchase of such food as dairy products and fruits and vegetables and the equipment necessary for program administrators to prepare and deliver nutritious meals.

Since 2008, over $1.5million has been granted to Breakfast for Learning programs throughout Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Breakfast for Learning has supported more than 1,350 programs in Atlantic Canada, serving approximately 215,000 children since 2008.

During this school year, the following amounts will be granted in each province:

In Nova Scotia, Breakfast for Learning programs will receive $295,000 to support almost 24
thousand students and 4 million meals; included in this funding are supplemental equipment
grants for equipment and for dairy, fruit and vegetables.

In Prince Edward Island, Breakfast for Learning programs will receive $62,500 to support almost
6,000 students with more 445,000 meals; included in this funding are supplemental grants for
equipment and for dairy, fruit and vegetables.

In New Brunswick, Breakfast for Learning programs will receive $321,250 to support almost
12,000 students with close to two million meals; included in this funding are supplemental
equipment grants for equipment and for dairy, fruit and vegetables.

In Newfoundland, Breakfast for Learning programs will receive $187,500 to support The Kids Eat
Smart Foundation with nutrition dollars and an additional equipment allocation grants for
equipment and for dairy, fruit and vegetables.

The staff at Loblaw banner stores in Atlantic Canada helped raise money towards this grant by selling paper icons in the store, direct employee donations and colleague fundraising efforts.  Loblaw created President's Choice® Children's Charity to empower its store colleagues, franchisees and their employees to support families in communities where the Company has retail locations. In Atlantic Canada, these banners include nofrills®, Cash & Carry, Atlantic Superstore®, Dominion® (in Newfoundland and Labrador),and SaveEasy®.

"The grant to Breakfast for Learning is just one of the many ways that President's Choice^® Children's Charity makes a positive difference in local communities," said Peggy Hornell, senior director, President's Choice^® Children's Charity, "With this grant we are able to support terrific programs across Atlantic Canada and help provide nutritious meals to school children."

"As Breakfast for Learning's National Premier Sponsor since 2008, President's Choice^® Children's Charity has helped Breakfast for Learning provide breakfast, lunch and snacks to over 1.2 million children and youth through their support of nutrition program delivery in communities all across Canada.  Not only are children starting their day well-nourished and ready to learn, but research has shown that a healthy breakfast in childhood fosters life-long healthy eating habits. With the continued support of President's Choice^® Children's Charity, Breakfast for Learning is able to further extend our reach across Canada, fostering a healthy, successful future for our children," said Wendy Wong, president and CEO, Breakfast for Learning.

Breakfast for Learning's vision is to ensure all kids in Canada attend school well nourished thereby improving their ability to learn and giving them the best chance of success in life. Since President's Choice^® Children's Charity began its involvement with Breakfast for Learning in 2008, over $11 million has been donated and distributed to organizations across Canada.

About Breakfast for Learning
Breakfast for Learning is committed to helping children across Canada realize their full potential in life by ensuring that all children attend school well nourished and ready to learn.  As Canada's first and largest charity focusing on nourishing children, Breakfast for Learning has been helping support and sustain school based breakfast, lunch and snack programs for 20 years.  Operating nationally, BFL funds programs in all 10 provinces and 3 territories.  In the 2011-2012 school year, Breakfast for Learning funded 4,431 breakfast, lunch and snack programs operating within 2,509 school/community sites, supporting more than 430,000 children and youth with over 67 million meals and snacks.  To learn more or donate online, visit www.breakfastforlearning.ca.

About President's Choice® Children's Charity 
President's Choice^® Children's Charity is committed to helping children across Canada, with a focus on children with disabilities and childhood nutrition. The Charity supports children with disabilities through financial grants and as the National Premier Sponsor of Breakfast for Learning shares a vision dedicated to improving the lives of children. The cost of administration and operations of the Charity is funded by Loblaw Companies Limited, ensuring that 100 per cent of every dollar donated goes to helping kids and their families. The Charity offers funding across Canada and dollars are granted in the region in which they are raised. Since 1989, the Charity has awarded more than $72 million, reaching more than 10,000 families. For more information on the President's Choice^® Children's Charity or to donate online, visit pc.ca/charity.

SOURCE: Loblaw Companies Limited

For more information or to schedule an interview:

Mark Boudreau
Director of Corporate Affairs
[phone] (ext. 4063) or cellular - [phone]
[email protected]

President's Choice^® Children's Charity media contact:
Loblaw Public Relations on behalf of President's Choice^® Children's Charity
[email protected]
[phone]