MEALS THAT MATTER
– Elementary School Food Program Supporting Local Students –
Meals that Matter, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s elementary school food program, provides local students facing food insecurity with healthy, hearty and nutritious take-home dinners throughout the school year.
With expertise in hospitality and chef-driven culinary programming, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver brought the Meals that Matter concept to life in 2021 after a desire to fill a meal period that was limited through existing after-school programs. After a successful pilot program, the has hotel donated over 1,500 nutritious frozen dinners to Vancouver School Board, which distributes the meals to families within its district. For the upcoming 2024/2025 school year, Hotel Vancouver has pledged to donate more than 2,000 dinners with further donations directed to support in-school nutritional programming. The Vancouver School Board makes a monthly pick-up from the hotel, resulting in the donation of 200 monthly meals, distributed to two schools in the Vancouver school district.
Helping local kids thrive
Did you know? Food Insecurity is a public health issue across British Columbia and has become increasingly more challenging with the rise of inflation and food costs. A BC Centre for Disease Control study found that one in six children under the age of 18 experience a level of food insecurity. This program helps children access the nourishment they need to learn and thrive.
Healthy, hearty & nutritious
Each take-home dinner is designed with nutrition and flavour in mind, with a rotating menu of monthly features that follow the guidance of Canada’s Food Guide and adhering to food safe practices.
2000 meals pledged for 2024/25
Sample meals include: Meatloaf with bbq sauce, mashed potato, vegetables, and peach cobbler, Turkey Dinner with root vegetables and sticky toffee pudding, and Penne Bolognese with steamed broccoli, and apple crumble, to name a few.
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver invites guests to join the cause by adding an optional $10 donation ($10 = 2 meal donations) when reserving a room directly through the hotel website as an optional add-on in the booking engine. Meeting and convention groups can also donate to the cause during their program dates by making a donation in any denomination to the hotel’s program through the Vancouver School Board by visiting the link here. Tax receipts are available.