The Café That Sparked a Change

Sparks flew March 1st to 5th as ONFE hosted Café Spark, a virtual event benefiting the School Breakfast Program. Café Spark was created in celebration of 30 successful years of supporting kids from grades K-12 with over 35 million nutritious meals, helping them to start the school day on equal footing with their peers.
ONFE normally hosts an annual gala each fall called the Spark Soirée to raise money for the School Breakfast Program but was forced to be innovative in this year’s fundraising efforts due to the limitations of Covid-19. ONFE was still determined to throw a successful fundraising event that not only adapted to meet current health guidelines, but also gave the general public the opportunity to learn more about what the School Breakfast Program does and how it changes lives. With the generous support of our sponsors and donors, the Café Spark was able to raise over $50,000.
Café Spark kicked off with an exciting announcement from His Worship Mr. Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa, who proclaimed March 1st, 2021 as the official Ottawa Network for Education School Breakfast Program 30th Anniversary Celebration Day in the city of Ottawa! Café Spark was hosted by Jenni and Brady from The New HOT 89.9 FM; Mathieu Fleury, Ottawa City Councillor; Lucy van Oldenbarneveld, CBC Host; and Dylan Black, Boom 99.7 host. The event also featured members of our community, students, and volunteers of the program who each expressed the impact that ONFE’s School Breakfast Program has made in the lives of the children and youth in our community.
Café Spark would not have been a success without the continuous support of our sponsors, partners, individual and corporate donors, volunteers, and our community. We appreciate of all of you. Your generous contributions will help ensure that every child can start their day fueled and ready to learn, dream, and achieve. Thank you for fueling kids and igniting learning!