Toonies for Tummies looks for industry sponsors

The Grocery Foundation is gearing up for next year’s Toonies for Tummies campaign and is now looking for companies within the industry to sponsor.

An integrated marketing campaign has been developed that the foundation says will give sponsors more exposure and allow them to promote their connection to the charitable endeavor.

Toonies for Tummies raises funds to support nutritious eating programs for school children. One in six children goes to school hungry, according to a 2011 report, “Household Food Insecurity in Canada.”

"Feeding hungry children is an important issue.  We've had great success with the recent return of Toonies, and we're confident the program we've built for 2015 is going to make an even greater impact for brands, consumers and ultimately for children through monies raised," Michelle Scott, executive director of The Grocery Foundation, said.

The sponsorship program for suppliers’ products in Ontario or Atlantic Canada, or both regions, includes:

• a coupon book that will be available at nearly 1,100 stores and seen by an estimated 400,000 shoppers.

• enhanced in-store support through a flyer reaching 13.5 million consumers that will direct them to look out for Toonies for Tummies sponsor brands in stores.

• branded recognition and “brought to you by” tagging at the close of a campaign video that companies can share on their websites

• a dedicated feature page for one day on The Grocery Foundation microsite in which companies  can tell their CSR and brand story.

The 2015 Toonies for Tummies campaign runs in participating grocery stores in Ontario and Atlantic Canada next February. They include Sobeys, Metro, Food Basics, Foodland, Freshco, Longo’s, Colemans, Co-op Atlantic and Galati Market.

This year, the Toonies for Tummies campaign raised $864,000. More than 400,000 shoppers made a donation.

A microsite at TooniesForTummies.ca lets consumers in Ontario track their donations to local schools and, in Atlantic Canada, identify the local groups involved in providing meals.

The microsite was set up in response to a survey of consumers by Leger Canada and The Grocery Foundation that revealed more than 87 per cent would be more likely to give to charity if they knew where their donation was going.