New Farm Boy program supports school food programs, food literacy initiatives

Who: Farm Boy

What: The Empire-owned grocery retail banner launched an initiative called "nourish to flourish" to help support school food programs and to nurture food literacy among students across the province. 

Developed in collaboration with Sustain Ontario and Farm to Cafeteria Canada, in its first year, the program is set to provide $55,000 in grants to 30 selected Ontario schools. 

Farm Boy will launch a point-of-sale fundraising campaign in-store from Aug. 1 to Aug. 15, inviting customers to donate at checkout to support the campaign. 

The grocer will match donations up to $25,000 to fund the grants, which will be awarded in three tiers: 15 grants at $3,000, five grants at $1,000 and 10 grants at $500. 

In addition to funding for in-school meal programs, nourish to flourish will offer educational experiences including trips to farms, school gardens and guest speaker events. 

"We believe in the power of nutritious and wholesome food to fuel healthy communities," said Farm Boy president and general manager Shawn Linton, in a press release announcing the launch of the program. "Nourish to flourish—our flagship charitable program is designed to make a positive impact across Ontario, encouraging schools to strengthen their in-school meal programs and inspire students to develop healthy eating habits."