“Two of BBE’s major clients are big supporters of this program. They see huge value in it, and so do we,” said Sean Gray, Regional Manager of Business Development for BBE Western Arctic. “Funding this program appeals to us because it’s an NWT-wide program.”

Breakfast for Learning Northwest Territories provides funding and support to school-based breakfast, lunch and snack programs in every community in the NWT. They are committed to helping start and sustain school-based nutrition programs, ensuring that students are well nourished and ready to learn.

“Our program operates on a community-driven model; we believe that NWT community members are in the best position to know what their needs are and so they determine the scope of the program they want to offer,” said Dana Britton, Coordinator of Breakfast for Learning Northwest Territories. “They apply to us for funding and we review their application request. We make sure that their menu is healthy and that our guidelines are met. Once grants are approved, we follow up with support and continued awareness.”

During the 2010/2011 school year, Breakfast for Learning supported 47 of the 49 NWT schools – every school that indicated need. The nutrition grants provided healthy food to over 4,600 students, which equates to half the entire NWT student population.

Britton says that while they have been able to support every community in the NWT, they were only able to grant 34 per cent of the requests that they received during the 2010/2011 school year.