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Nourishing minds at St Dominic's Breakfast Club in Hackney
In the heart of Hackney, children from St Dominic's Catholic Primary School arrive every morning at 8am to enjoy their daily Breakfast Club. It's a particularly animated pre-school session, with pupils tucking into a healthy breakfast before enjoying a range of activities in the school hall to kick off the day of learning with full tummies and active minds.
The Breakfast Club is delivered thanks the collaborative efforts of The Greggs Foundation and our largest partner, General Mills. General Mills currently funds more than 80 school Breakfast Clubs across our network, helping 6000 children receive a healthy breakfast every single day.
A business network for good
Recently, Noa Cohen and Jonathan Bennett from General Mills visited the breakfast club at St Dominics to meet the staff, children and volunteers. Getting involved in the various activities, Noa and Jonathan were able to see firsthand how support from General Mills has translated into an essential part of the school day for so many children.
It has been incredible to see how the funding we offer to schools has been used so effectively to deliver a brilliant daily session that gets the children ready for the school day. From the range of activities and games on offer to the great spread of nutritional food items Breakfast Clubs are a way for General Mills to help guarantee that more children have a better start to their day.Jonathan Bennett, External Relations Director Europe, General Mills
Challenges facing Hackney
Hackney is known for its vibrant culture and artistic scene but like many similar boroughs in London, faces its share of challenges when it comes to economic disparity. Pupils and families in this borough are often navigating a complex landscape of obstacles that go beyond the classroom.
School Breakfast Clubs provide a place for food but also act as a support for working parents looking for childcare options outside of school hours. By providing a safe space for children to eat, play and talk to adults before the school day begins, children can really decompress before learning begins.
All schools in the Breakfast Club network can also access hardship funding to ensure families experiencing financial crisis have someone to turn to for help when it comes to sourcing supermarket, clothing or utility vouchers, essentials household appliances or beds and bedding. St Dominics accessed over £700 in hardship support in 2023 alone.
General Mills' Impact on Breakfast Clubs
The success of this Breakfast Club highlights the positive ripple effects of the partnership between The Greggs Foundation and highly engaged partners such as General Mills.
Over 150 external partners currently support School Breakfast Clubs through The Greggs Foundation and this business network for good is a core part of the success of the programme. By fostering relationships between businesses, organisations and schools, children and staff can benefit from greater links into the working world to enhance the school environment and wider learning opportunities.
So many of our schools really take advantage of working more with their funding partner to carry out visits, access additional funding, run competitions or do career-based skills workshops. It’s a great way to drive engagement between business and education in a way that benefits both parties. General Mills has been a major supporter of The Greggs Foundation for several years and we are incredibly appreciative of their continued partnership to fund so many schools in our Breakfast Club programme. Their funding helps provide over 1.1 million breakfasts every year which has such a positive impact on the children and families who attend our Breakfast Clubs.Tracy Lynch, Manager of The Greggs Foundation
If you are interested in learning more about how to become a partner with The Greggs Foundation, please visit our partners page to learn more.