March 10, 2020

Canpotex helps support food security at home for pregnant women and families

One of the world’s largest potash exporters headquartered in Saskatoon is improving food security for moms and children right here at home.

A $60,000 donation from Canpotex to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation is helping provide hundreds of pregnant women and their families access to nutritious and easy-to-cook meals.

The Canpotex Food for a Day program provides dry-mix meals and snacks for pregnant women to take home to prepare for their families for breakfast, lunch and dinner. From soups and burrito mixes to pancakes and energy bites, each meal often only requires one or two additional ingredients to complete the meal, such as water or oil.

Based out of West Winds Primary Health Centre in Saskatoon, the Canpotex Food for a Day program supports around 500 women with the Healthy Mother Healthy Baby program each year. The program aims to promote optimal pregnancy outcomes for women who are often faced with risks of living with low-income and have little access to food.

“We are so thankful that so many women, children and their families are benefiting from the Food for a Day bag that contains the contents to prepare four healthy recipes. In many cases when the team takes the food bag out, it is providing families nutritious meals often when their fridges and cupboards are empty,” explained Jacki Veregin, manager at West Winds Primary Health Centre.

Veregin said having immediate food available to distribute to pregnant women can be life-changing for many families living with daily food insecurities.

“Canpotex is pleased to partner with Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation to help the mothers and children who benefit from this program,” said Gord McKenzie, President and CEO of Canpotex. “The issue of food security is important to Canpotex both globally and here in our home community. We are happy to be a part of the solution to local food security through our support of the Food for a Day Program.”

Headquartered in Saskatoon, Canpotex is one of the world’s largest suppliers of potash overseas. On behalf of their shareholders, Mosaic and Nutrien, Canpotex markets and delivers Saskatchewan potash, a valuable fertilizer nutrient, to millions of fields and farmers, helping the world grow more food.

“Thank you to Canpotex for supporting this unique initiative, which is enhancing care beyond the walls of Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital by providing vital nutrition for moms and kids,” said Brynn Boback-Lane, President and CEO of Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. “We know the Canpotex Food for a Day Program will build healthier futures for our children and families and improve their quality of life, helping them reach their full potential each and every day.”