Food Network Chef David Rocco and a host of celebrity pancake flippers will join forces to host a free breakfast on September 10 in support of the ONEXONE Foundation's "Feeding Our Children" initiatives. The pancake breakfast event will raise funds and awareness around ONEXONE's commitment to providing nutritional food to children in need through their First Nations School Breakfast Program, the Backpack Program and other initiatives in Canada. As children across Canada prepare to head back to class, many students face the frightening prospect of going to school hungry.

"With thousands of kids excited to head back to school, it's easy to forget that so many of our students will face the difficult task of trying to learn on an empty stomach," said Joey Adler, Founder and Chair of ONEXONE. "Through the ONEXONE Feeding Our Children initiatives, which we hope to continue expanding, we provide students with a wholesome and healthy food in an effort to help them reach their full potential."

The free pancake breakfast takes place on September 10, from 7:00-10:30am at the TD Centre North Plaza (between King Street & Wellington Street). The pancakes are a unique Chef Rocco recipe created just for the ONEXONE "Feeding Our Children" breakfast.

With programs dedicated to five fundamental pillars - water, food, health, education and play - ONEXONE's mission is to help children in need. Having launched successful programs around the world, ONEXONE is also committed to helping children at home in Canada. ONEXONE is committed to helping children both around the world and at home in Canada. In 2011, ONEXONE served over 500,000 nutritious meals to over 3000 students across Canada.

The ONEXONE First Nations School Breakfast Program, developed in collaboration with the Assembly of First Nations and PepsiCo Canada, has set a goal to address and increase the availability of healthy food to all First Nations children in the school setting. ONEXONE provides grants to 19 community partners so that they can provide nutritious morning meals to children each school day. The ONEXONE First Nations School Breakfast Program has already seen overwhelmingly positive results since it began in 2008. The healthy breakfasts have a measurable positive impact on learning, creativity, improved test grades, and even attendance.

In 2011 ONEXONE launched a pilot "Backpack" program. This program helps ensure that children and their families have nutritious food to eat on weekends, when school meal programs are unavailable. Through this program, children in vulnerable communities receive a backpack filled with nutritious and healthy foods.

About ONEXONE

ONEXONE was founded with the philosophy that every single life is precious and that as individuals we can make profound changes in the lives of other human beings, one by one. ONEXONE's mission is to improve the lives of children in North America, Haiti and around the world with programs dedicated to five fundamental pillars: water, health, education, play and food. 

In Canada, the ONEXONE First Nations School Breakfast Program provides a nutritious breakfast for children each and every school day. ONEXONE, with generous support from its partners in the Assembly of First Nations and PepsiCo Canada, is currently serving over 3,000 breakfasts every school day.

ONEXONE is generously supported by partners including Rogers Communications, Diesel Canada, PepsiCo Canada, Tribal Councils Investment Group, TD Bank Group, Salida Capital Foundation, Mantella Corporation, Sunwing Travel Group, Arctic Beverages, Claudia Alan, The Bay, REDKEN and Canadian Tire. 

Please visit www.onexone.org, or follow ONEXONE on Facebook and Twitter (@ONEXONE) for updates and information. 

About David Rocco

David Rocco's popular television food and lifestyle program, David Rocco's Dolce Vita, is seen in over 100 countries around the world, including the Food Network in Canada. David's new series, David Rocco's Amalfi Getaway, can be seen on Cooking Channel in the USA, and in fall 2012 on Food Network Canada.

www.davidrocco.com

For donations and information on ONEXONE, please contact: 

Justyna Jonca
Director of Development
ONEXONE
T: 416-901-1291
E: justyna@onexone.org

For media inquiries, please contact:

Nicole Grant

Account Manager

North Strategic for ONEXONE

T: 416-419-6577

E: nicole.grant@northstrategic.com