FirstOntario Credit Union has donated $20,000.00 to Tastebuds, Hamilton’s Student Nutrition Collaborative. This food funding received will allow the Hamilton Tastebuds Student Nutrition Collaborative to scale up operations of local student nutrition initiatives and will be used exclusively to support the purchase of whole fresh fruits and vegetables in schools and to support virtual learners. FirstOntario Credit Union has also offered Tastebuds, Hamilton’s Student Nutrition Collaborative volunteer engagement through the support of the FirstOntario Blue Wave Employee Volunteer program.

Tastebuds, Hamilton’s Student Nutrition Collaborative, is a partnership of the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton, Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, Hamilton Catholic District School Board and Public Health. The program has been supporting children and youth in Hamilton for more than a decade. Food insecurity is a pressing issue, which has worsened since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton’s Executive Director, Kim Martin, states: “We are incredibly grateful to FirstOntario Credit Union for their support of this important community program. The Tastebuds program, which provides healthy meals and snacks to students, helps fill the nutrition gap and creates positive social connections; both of which contribute to their overall well-being.”

Our vision is for all students to have access to nutritious foods that improve student success and support healthy growth and advancement while developing lifelong healthy eating habits. Tastebuds’ nutrition programs serve up to 25,000 students in 109 school and community settings across Hamilton every school day. Universality is a key pillar of Tastebuds; all nutrition programs are non-stigmatizing and available and accessible to all students, regardless of their economic status.

For more information on Tastebuds: Hamilton’s Student Nutrition Collaborative, please visit our website at tastebudshamilton.ca