Fundraising with Healthy Food and Beverages

A Guide for Nova Scotia Public Schools
Fundraising
with Healthy Food
and Beverages

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Crown Copyright, Province of Nova Scotia, 2007
Nova Scotia Department of Education and the Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and
Protection .
No part of this booklet may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any means, including information storage and
retrieval systems, without obtaining written permission of the Nova Scotia Government.
DISCLAIMER
Fundraising With Healthy Food and Beverages: A Guide for Nova Scotia Public Schools is produced by the
Department of Education and the Department of Health Promotion and Protection with the assistance
and advice of public health nutritionists, dietitians, educators, and parents from across Nova Scotia. The
content is based on a thorough but not exhaustive search of healthy food and beverage fundraising
ideas for schools from Nova Scotia, other provinces, and other countries. The guide also includes lessons
learned, resources, and tips. The content is guaranteed to be accurate as of the published date. However,
the authors acknowledge that many new ideas and products are likely to arise after publication.
Please note that the listing of products and companies is in no way intended as an endorsement. The
Department of Education and the Department of Health Promotion and Protection do not guarantee
any speci?c pro?t margins for fundraisers using the food and beverage items listed within.
Website references contained within this document are provided solely as a convenience and do not
constitute an endorsement by the Department of Education and the Department of Health Promotion
and Protection of the content, policies, or products of the referenced websites. The departments do not
control the referenced websites and subsequent links and are not responsible for the accuracy, legality,
or content of those websites. Referenced website content may change without notice.

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Table of Contents
Introduction

School Fundraising with Food and Beverages
1

Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools
1

Purpose of the Guide
2

Structure of the Guide
2
Section 1:

General Tips and Advice for Fundraising
4

Choosing Fundraisers for Schools
5

Food Safety
6

Allergy Awareness
6
Section 2:

Healthy Food and Beverages of Maximum and Moderate Nutrition
7

Examples of Maximum Nutrition Food and Beverages


to Sell as Fundraisers
7

Examples of Moderate Nutrition Food and Beverages


to Sell as Fundraisers
8
Section 3:

Ideas for Fundraising with Healthy Food and Beverages
10
Section 4:

Directory of Companies and Suppliers
12

List of Companies
13

Directory of Fundraising Companies
13
Section 5:

Websites and Resources
26

Information on Successful Fundraising Campaigns
26

Information on Safe Food Handling and Preparation
26

Information on Food Allergies and Anaphylaxis
27

Information on School Gardens
27

Contacts for Nova Scotia Food/Beverage Growers,


Suppliers and Companies
28

Resources and Contacts for Further Assistance
28
Appendices

Appendix A: Maximum and Moderate Nutrition Pamphlets
33

Appendix B: Tool to Gather Company Information
34

Appendix C: Sources and Acknowledgements
35
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School Fundraising with Food and Beverages
Fundraising is a broad term that includes a wide variety of activities that
students, parents/guardians, teachers, and others participate in to raise
funds for schools or other agencies. Fundraising makes an important
contribution to the overall school experience and can help to enrich learning
opportunities for students.
Many traditional fundraising activities rely on the sale of food and beverages
high in calories, sugar, and fat and low in nutrients—particularly chocolate,
cookies, and pop. This practice sends confusing messages, such as when
athletic programs, which promote physical activity, sell nutritionally poor
items as a means of support. Fundraising that involves selling less nutritious
items can also send the message that schools are more concerned about
making money than helping students to maintain healthy habits.
Fundraising can be complementary to the health of students and the
community that supports them when non-food and healthy food and
beverage options are chosen. Fundraising with non-food or healthy food
and beverage items provides another opportunity to support nutrition
messages taught in the classroom, home, and broader community. It
also provides the opportunity for schools to show their commitment to
promoting healthy living while addressing their ?nancial needs.
Many Nova Scotia schools have demonstrated that they can raise money
and promote healthy options at the same time. Their creative ideas and
fundraising success stories using healthy food and beverages are featured
within the pages of this guide.
Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools
Healthy foods are important during the school age years for growth,
learning, physical activity, and overall health. It follows that the food and
beverages served and sold in schools should primarily be for the purposes of
nourishment rather than for revenue generation.
The Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools is based on
Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating and describes standards for all food
and beverages served and sold in schools. In addition, it promotes nutrition
education in the curriculum, encourages community partnerships, and
provides a supportive environment for healthy food and beverage decisions.
Because food and beverages are so commonly and frequently used for school
fundraising, the policy addresses fundraising as one of its twelve directives.
Policy Directive 5.1 states: Fundraising with food and beverages organized
by and through schools will centre only on items of Maximum or Moderate
Nutrition (i.e., healthy items). Directive 5.1 is in effect beginning September
2007. This includes all school fundraising activities (e.g., campaigns, canteens,
vending machines, and sales during the day, after school, and evenings).
The Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools will be phased-
in over three years beginning in 2006 – 07. Fundraisers held during the
de?ned school day have to comply with the policy directives already in
place (e.g., effective January 2007, schools will no longer serve or sell Baked
Goods, Snacks or Processed Foods, Beverages, and Frozen Novelties from the
Minimum Nutrition list). For more information, please refer to a school copy
of the policy or visit www.ednet.ns.ca to view the policy on-line.
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Purpose of the Guide
Most schools participate in fundraising activities. There are countless non-food
products, services, and ideas for school fundraising. Food should be used
primarily for nourishment. To ensure that the over consumption of food is
The “school day” is de?ned as
not unintentionally promoted schools are strongly encouraged to participate
any day other than a Saturday,
in non-food fundraisers that include products, services, and promotion of
Sunday, or statutory holiday
humanitarian efforts or environmental health.
within the school year. It refers
to the time when students

Schools are strongly encouraged to participate in non-food fundraisers!
arrive at school to the time
they leave at the end of the
However, for schools that decide to use food and beverages for fundraising,
day. The policy is also in effect
this guide will help provide information and ideas that support the Food and
during after school and evening
Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools and the Food and Beverage
programs for students provided
Standards for Nova Scotia Public Schools.
by the school. Schools are also
encouraged to apply the policy
The purpose of Fundraising with Healthy Food and Beverages: a Guide for
during weekends for consistency
Nova Scotia Public Schools is to
and role-modeling purposes.
• help schools put the Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public

Schools into action

• help with decisions related to the kinds of food and beverages chosen

for fundraisers
• provide information, ideas, and links to resources to help make school

food and beverage fundraising activities more heath-oriented
• promote consistent health and nutrition messages to students
• feature and support local companies, producers, and suppliers of health-

promoting food and beverage items
Structure of the Guide
One of the biggest challenges with school fundraising activities has been
?nding innovative products and ideas that will generate interest among the
consumers and result in an acceptable pro?t for the school.
Unfortunately, there does not seem to be ‘one’ item guaranteed to generate
the desired amount of pro?t. The success of fundraisers depends on a variety
of factors including how they are organized, advertised, and promoted.
Often some trial and error is necessary before ?nding something that suits
the school community. This guide has attempted to make the task easier by
including a list of helpful tips to consider before beginning fundraisers, in
addition to providing ideas and resources.

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The guide is arranged in ?ve sections:
1. General Tips and Advice for Fundraising

Includes considerations and questions to ask when choosing a school

fundraiser
2. Healthy Food and Beverages of Maximum and Moderate Nutrition

Includes a list of suggestions for fundraising with food and beverages of

Maximum and Moderate Nutrition; Success stories from around Nova

Scotia are featured
3. Ideas for Fundraising with Healthy Food and Beverages

Includes fundraising activities featuring healthy food and beverages
4. Fundraising Companies

Provides a listing of fundraising companies, their products, and contact

information
5. Websites and Resources

Provides additional information, local contacts to organizations, and

links to resources
The food and beverage suggestions and ideas included in the guide are
consistent with the Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools.
For the fundraising companies listed, it is important to note that many
feature additional items that do not comply with the policy.
We would be very pleased to learn about other successful fundraising
ideas and products that focus on healthy food and beverages, so that
they might be included in an online update of the guide. Please send
ideas, stories and suggestions to:

School Nutritionist

Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection

Phone: (902) 424-4807 or 1-866-231-3882 (toll free)

Fax: (902) 424-4716

Email: healthpromotion@gov.ns.ca
Agriculture
a Scotia Department of
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Section 1
GENERAL TIPS AND ADVICE FOR FUNDRAISING
This section provides general tips and considerations for planning school
fundraisers, including questions to ask when choosing particular items or
suppliers. Appendix B contains a worksheet to help schools gather information
from potential suppliers of healthy food and beverages.
Sharing suggestions and ideas among schools and regions can be valuable.
Below are suggestions for organizing fundraisers. These have been compiled
from various documents across Canada.
Form a fundraising committee

• Involve the whole school community in the activities, including


school staff, teachers, parents, and students.

• Share the workload; don’t expect the same person to take the lead


every year.

• Have fun! It will help keep the creative juices ?owing.
Plan the budget

• Many fundraisers require products be purchased in advance.

• Schools with limited budgets may want to try pre-sale fundraisers;


orders are placed in advance so schools purchase only what is sold.
Conduct a survey

• Find out what kinds of items students/parents are interested in


selling and the community is interested in supporting.
Market the event, product, or service

• Use eye-catching ads in the school and surrounding community.

• Advertise in the school newsletter, community events calendars,


school website, community buildings, local paper, and radio.

• Take pictures during the fundraising event and use them the next


year to show what was done.
Ask for donations from the community

• Consider donations of advertising, location, space, and delivery services.
Let people know the goal of fundraising

• E.g., support for school programs, team uniforms, trips, equipment

• People may contribute more willingly when they know where their


money is going, how their contribution may help, and what kind of


success the campaign has had in the past.
Ensure prices are comparable to store prices, but high enough to
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earn a reasonable pro?t for the effort undertaken.
Sell quality products: the school’s reputation is on the line.

• It will make future campaigns more successful if supporters have a


good experience with the item being purchased.
Recognize volunteers

• Make sure that they have fun and they have what they need.

• Thank them publicly or send a note of thanks.

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Help parents and the community understand that the school
supports healthy eating

• Refer to the Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools


and highlight positive changes made to school food and beverages in


all aspects.
Work with local suppliers, whenever possible

• Refer to the Websites and Resources Section of the guide for a link


to an on-line directory of Nova Scotia food/beverage growers,


suppliers and companies.
Refer to Websites and Resources Sections of the guide, for information
related to running a successful fundraising campaign.
Choosing Fundraisers for Schools
Below are some key questions to ask when deciding whether a new
fundraising idea will meet school needs.
Ask:
• Why does the school sell food for fundraising? To supplement the

nutritional intake of students? Support extra-curricular activities,

academics, or equipment?
• Are all students able to participate in fundraisers? Is there a fee charged/

donation required for all events and activities?
• What food-related fundraising activities are currently in use (e.g., daily

canteen sales, bake sales, campaigns)? What has to change in order to ?t

with the Food and Nutrition Policy for Nova Scotia Public Schools?
• Have non-food fundraising alternatives been explored?
• Do the food and beverages chosen ?t with the Food and Nutrition Policy

for Nova Scotia Public Schools?
• Are fundraising activities coordinated within the school?
If schools have decided to use food and beverages to fundraise, some
important things to know from the supplier include the following:
• Contact information, websites and e-mail addresses
• List of healthy products that ?t with the Food and Nutrition Policy

for Nova Scotia Public Schools (i.e., food and beverages of Maximum and

Moderate Nutrition)
• Availability of items (e.g., all year, certain months)
• Whether there is a speci?c minimum order required. Does this minimum

order exceed what the school/club needs?
Agriculture
• Pricing and pro?t margins
a Scotia Department of
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• Payment options and procedures. Do payment and procedures ?t with
Notes:

the constraints of the school (e.g., from point of ordering to delivery)?
• Whether the company has been used by other schools in the school

board or province for fundraising. If so, consider contacting the school

to get an idea of how it went. If not, ensure that the vendor will meet

the school’s needs and allow enough money to be raised.
Food Safety
Food and beverages used for school fundraising need to be handled in
accordance with safe food handling practices to reduce the risk of any food
borne illnesses. These include proper delivery, handling, storage, and transport
of perishable and nonperishable items.
Food Safety Specialists at the Department of Agriculture have provided advice
to school programs (e.g., breakfast, snack) where food is brought into the
school from home. This advice can also be applied to school fundraisers that
use food and beverages:
• Food is to be obtained from approved sources such as retail or wholesale

operations.
• If food is to be provided by families, it should be non-perishable products

in their original packaging.
• Home-canned foods, other than jams and jellies, are not permitted.
• Meals prepared in home kitchens are not permitted, as they are from an

unknown source and would include potentially hazardous foods. The

means of preparation, cooking, hot and cold holding, and transporting

of these foods may put children at risk.
• Low hazardous foods like whole fruit and vegetables, or baked goods

such as muf?ns (without cream, custard or cream cheese ?lling or

topping), may be brought into the facility by a parent or guardian.

Acceptance is at the discretion of the staff.
• Fruits and vegetables must be washed before serving. Peeling and

cutting should be done at the facility (e.g., by staff, parent/student

volunteers).
For information and resources related to safe food handling and storage,
refer to the Websites and Resources Section of the guide.
Allergy Awareness
School communities want healthy, safe environments for their students.
Some students have life-threatening allergies that are so severe they can
be triggered by smell or brief skin contact with a food. This can present a
concern for the whole school when food is part of school activities. Most
school boards have a policy on allergy awareness, and this should be consulted.
For information and resources related to allergies and anaphylaxis, refer to
the Websites and Resources section of the guide.

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