Supporting a nutritious start to the day with Breakfast Club of Canada

Thu, 17 Oct 2024

Breakfast Club of Canada (BCC) offers children across Canada the opportunity to reach their full potential by starting each school day with nutritious food. Pembina is pleased to be extending our partnership with BCC for three more years with a contribution of over $2 million, continuing our support for daily breakfasts at schools throughout the communities where we live and work.

When students go to class hungry, their energy levels, problem-solving skills, creativity, concentration and behaviour are all negatively affected. Eating breakfast regularly provides the fuel needed for learning, but not all children have access to a nutritious meal to begin their day.

Since 1994, Breakfast Club of Canada (BCC) has been helping children across Canada access a nutritious breakfast in a safe and welcoming environment. BCC offers schools support to build their capabilities so that they can implement and maintain reliable quality breakfast programs, with nutritious and complete meals. These programs also provide an inclusive and stigma-free environment, promote physical and mental health, food literacy, and encourage active student participation while fostering volunteer engagement and mobilizing the community.

Pembina is proud of its strong partnership with BCC, which began in 2016, and we look forward to continuing it over the next three years through our contribution of over $2 million dollars. Pembina's partnership with BCC aligns with our aim to build safe, inclusive, and connected communities.

Over the next three years, Pembina’s support will benefit breakfast programs across our operating areas and support infrastructure to make delivery of the programs possible.

Caring for children and supporting organizations dedicated to their wellbeing, like BCC, strengthens our communities and is an investment in a better, brighter future. I’ve seen firsthand the impact BCC has in schools and I’m proud that Pembina can help them to continue their incredible work.

Community Investment at Pembina

We strive to have communities welcome us as a safe and responsible partner whose positive social impact creates significant value for all our stakeholders. We proudly participate in local events, engage with communities, and give back through Pembina’s Community Investment program.

Pembina partners with local, provincial/state, and national non-profit and charitable organizations that support Indigenous and Tribal communities, promote safety, equity and inclusion, and encourage a sustainable energy future.

To learn more about Pembina’s partnership with BCC and our Community Investment program, visit our Community Engagement page.

Serving breakfast in our own communities

From British Columbia to Ontario, many of our teams are strongly connected to the work BCC does. Since the program’s implementation in 2016, Pembina team members have volunteered over 1,000 hours with BCC and in 2023-2024 we supported over 100 schools with breakfast programs.

In Corunna, ON, the Pembina team serves breakfast every Friday morning, taking turns pitching in to help out.

Mike Edgar, Manager, East NGL, shared, “BCC is one of our favourite programs here in Corunna. When you talk to children that need this support, it is quite a humbling and emotional experience. Knowing that we are making a positive difference in their lives is very uplifting and I am grateful to have opportunities to see this need and be able to do something about it.”

Flipping pancakes as part of BCC is also a popular volunteer activity in Prince Rupert. For the past three years, Pembina employees have been avid volunteers at local breakfast programs. When they aren’t cooking pancakes, local employees have also helped to deliver supplies all in support of schools serving students from grade one up to grade 12. Craig Hilton, Manager, Prince Rupert Terminal explained, “Many local children go to school without a nutritious start to their day, and it is a real privilege to help this cause and see the significant difference that it makes to children's lives.”