Pictured above (L to R): Nancy Waldschmidt, Brant Food For Thought; Julie White, Food Service Manager, Tim Horton Onondaga Farms; Judy Maidment, Brant Food For Thought; Robert Miller, President, Brant Food For Thought; Gisèle Budgell, Program Director, Brant Food For Thought; Tammy Wilks, General Manager, Tim Horton Onondaga Farms.
Brant Food For Thought and Tim Hortons® Foundation Camps are excited to announce a partnership to provide healthy Grab ‘N Go style snack bags to students in local schools.
“This is an innovative way to deliver student nutrition programs this school year,” says Gisèle Budgell, Program Director of Brant Food For Thought. “As staff and students continue to navigate new public health measures and COVID-19 protocols, Brant Food For Thought is there to lessen the load by supporting those schools where program capacity is a challenge. That’s why we introduced the ‘Grab ‘N Go’ edition of healthy snacks delivered directly to schools.”
Brant Food For Thought is pleased to be partnering with Tim Hortons® Foundation Camps staff and community volunteers to pack boxes of healthy snacks for students. In April of 2020, Brant Food For Thought launched the COVID-19 Emergency Food Relief Initiative, in collaboration with school administrators and community agencies. Following the announcement from Education Minister Stephen Lecce that school closures were to be extended beyond the March break, Brant Food For Thought moved quickly to significantly pivot operations of student nutrition programs and mobilize remaining food funding resources to continue supporting students while they were learning online from home.
School Principal gratefully receives a 2-day supply of packed healthy snacks for students enrolled in the school.
“We know that good nutrition contributes to a child’s ability to learn, whether it’s in the school setting or virtually from home,” 
Budgell expressed. The emergency food box program continued throughout the summer months, and with the approach of the new school year came the challenge of strategically pivoting operations again to continue supporting the nutritional needs of students learning in the school setting or from home.
Tammy Wilks, General Manager of Tim Horton Onondaga Farms is excited about the partnership. “We are thrilled to welcome Brant Food For Thought to Tim Horton Onondaga Farms for the 2020-21 school year. Partnering on this initiative allows our team to stay connected to youth and schools during a time when we’re unable to welcome them on site, and be a part of something so important and relied upon by our community.”
For the past 45 years, the Tim Hortons® Foundation Camps have proudly served over 300,000 youth from disadvantaged circumstances with life-changing camp experiences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tims Camps remains committed to continuing to find innovative ways to help youth and their families. “This partnership established with Brant Food For Thought is a great way to stay connected and extend our resources to a cause so critical to our community.”
About Tim Hortons® Foundation Camps
Tim Hortons® Foundation Camps is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1974 helping kids to change their stories for the better. A leader in youth development programming, Tims Camps support youth from low income homes between the ages of 12 to 16 – an important developmental time that helps shape who they will become as adults. Through a multi-year, camp-based program, youth learn skills like leadership, resilience and responsibility, which empower them to believe in their own potential and change their stories for the better. With seven camps in North America that run year-round Summer and School Programs, youth are supported to thrive when they return home, to excel in post-secondary education, to succeed at work and to contribute positively to their communities. The Foundation’s funding comes from Tim Hortons Camp Day, fundraising activities, special events, and year-round public donations collected through counter and drive-thru coin boxes, as well as other donations. More than 295,000 kids have attended a Foundation camp at no cost to them or their families. For more information about Tim Hortons® Foundation Camps, please visit www.TimsCamps.com.