Page 30 - ECF_Thrive-Sept-2025

Brain Food
Director at the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation,
ECF’s initial $50,000 Community Grant provided the
inaugural funding to launch the program. This seed
“Top-ups is an initiative that
allows schools to be responsive to
the unique circumstances of the
students they serve.”
— Christine Simmons
money generated significant excitement, drawing
in new donors and expanding the program’s reach.
Bay emphasizes that this initiative demonstrates the
power of partnership and how collectively our actions
can strengthen community.
“Many of us at ECF are parents ourselves, so
we understand just how vital nutritious food is for a
child’s growth and learning,” Christelle Agahozo, ECF
Student Awards Associate says. “It’s been incredibly
rewarding to see the difference this program is
making in the lives of students.”
In its first year, the program supported 79 schools
and helped over 4,200 students. The feedback has
30 Together we thrive
been overwhelmingly positive — Simmons recalls hearing
about a family whose older child in junior high was giving their
lunch to their younger elementary-aged siblings to ensure they
weren’t hungry at school during a time when the family was
experiencing financial challenges.
“A teacher observed this student doing this, and told them
about Top-ups for Tummies and how they could access fruit
from the fruit bowl or a brown bag lunch if they felt hungry,”
recalls Simmons. “The student’s mother ended up calling the
teacher and was so overcome with emotion. There was no
judgment, her kid just got help when they needed it.”
A few months later, the family was back on their feet and
out of gratitude for Top-ups for Tummies, the student’s mother
donated grocery gift cards to the school as a way of giving back
and extending this support forward for other families who might
need it.
As student enrollment and food insecurity continue to rise,
the need for this kind of responsive, dignity-focused support is
more critical than ever and Top-ups for Tummies will continue to
be there to support schools.
Through the partnership between the Edmonton Public
Schools Foundation and ECF, Top-ups for Tummies is not just
feeding hungry kids, it’s fueling their potential and building a
more resilient community for all.