TORONTO
Chartwells Canada Partners with George Brown College to Launch National “Connecting Through Food” Campaign, to Address Student Food Security Concerns

The educational food service provider will host the "Connecting Through Food" Campaign at over 50 higher education schools across Canada with the goal of donating 100,000 meals in one day to support student food security.

In honour of the lead-up to World Food Day on October 16th, Chartwells Canada announced the launch of their "Connecting Through Food" campaign, a national program focused on highlighting and addressing rising student food insecurity through education, awareness, and on-campus action. The campaign launched at George Brown College Waterfront campus and will run at Chartwells- partnered colleges, universities, and independent schools across Canada tomorrow (October 5th). Students, staff, and faculty can expect to see multiple activations within their educational facilities, such as limited-time offer meals - with 100% of proceeds going towards supporting on-campus food security initiatives, nutrition education from Registered Dietitians, and a Spin to Give Back' donation opportunity, among other interactive events.

"Food insecurity has been a long-standing issue for many postsecondary students, one that has been heightened in recent times by the pandemic," said Dr. Gervan Fearon, President, George Brown College. "The Chartwells' Connecting Through Food' campaign builds on our commitment to mobilize the George Brown community and partners to help increase food security for our students. We are proud to join forces with Chartwells and our postsecondary partners to help ensure students access healthy, nutritious food." 

The campaign is part of the vision of Chartwells Thinking Ahead Giving Back (TAGB) initiative. The country's largest educational food service and support service provider proactively launched its TAGB vision 3 years ago, intent on transitioning from food service department to a collaborative thought partner, with the main pillar of their program focused on student food security. The "Connecting Through Food" campaign is considered the next evolution of this commitment. On October 5th, Chartwells invites students to join them as they work towards their campaign donation goal of 100,000 meals in one day - part of their over-arching 1 million meals for student food security TAGB pledge.

"Research shows that about 40% of post-secondary students in Canada face food insecurity and we are committed to working with our educational partners to decrease this number through education and access. At Chartwells, we understand that healthy minds start with the right nutrition. As a large foodservice provider, we have an opportunity to have an impact in this space and are committed to doing so through our TAGB vision," said Kevin Booth, executive vice president of Chartwells Canada. "Today, we are aiming to raise awareness, and to hit, or surpass, 100,000 meals donated to on-campus food security initiatives, as we continue to work towards our 1M meals pledge."

The team launched their national campaign at George Brown College, located in one of Canada's most urban cities.

Chartwells hopes to use its Connecting Through Food campaign as a kick-off to building awareness and education on important topics facing students today, as World Food Day approaches on October 16th. Students and community members can expect to see continued information and donation opportunities related to on-campus food security on their social channels throughout the coming weeks.