UNews - Buy A Student A Breakfast

Buy a Student a Breakfast campaign blasts past goal, sets new record of student support

trevor.kenney — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 23:13:04 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge community of alumni, employees and supporters not only achieved the goal set out for the 2025 Buy a Student a Breakfast campaign, it rocketed past even the most optimistic expectations — sending a clear message of encouragement to students. In all, $20,728 was raised, resulting in 3,454 breakfast coupons purchased for ULethbridge students as they head into their final exams.

Students are excited to receive support from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

“The generosity shown by those who give to this campaign always amazes me and to see we more than doubled our support for students this year is a testament to how much our community cares,” says Cyndi Crane (BMus ’95, MEd ’01), ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association president. “I’m not sure people understand how impactful this is for students. The breakfast coupon gets them off on the right foot for the day, and even more than that, it sends a message that they have an entire community of people in their corner, looking out for them. That means more than anything.”

Each breakfast coupon is valued at $10, with ULethbridge food provider Chartwells donating $4 and supporters covering the remaining $6. The campaign had sought to double last year’s support, which had set a record with nearly $10,000 raised and 1,560 coupons purchased. With food insecurity a major issue facing today’s post-secondary students, the ULethbridge community and friends rallied behind the cause.

“From the very first day of the campaign, we could see that people understood the challenges students are facing and were eager to help,” says Christa Merrell, ULethbridge philanthropy advisor. “This is a very caring community, we’ve seen that time and time again, and having heard how thankful the students are when they receive their coupons, it’s apparent this is very meaningful to them. Thank you.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community comes together to support Buy a Student a Breakfast campaign

trevor.kenney — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:30:02 +0000

Breakfast — it’s often been called the most important meal of the day. And what if your day includes studying for or taking a final exam? It’s easy to see how a good breakfast can play a major role in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students finding success during the most crucial time of their semester. So, let’s help them out!

The annual Buy a Student a Breakfast (BASAB) campaign begins today and as the final exam period approaches, it’s the perfect opportunity to support ULethbridge students — one breakfast at a time.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association President Cyndi Crane (BMus ’95, MEd ’01) presents a coupon to first-year student Joshua Nilsson.

“As a community, it’s really the small things that we can do for each other that help build and develop unity,” says Dr. Locke Spencer (MSc '05, PhD ’09), Chair and associate professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. “So, when you consider what you can do to just show a student you care, this is one thing that is pretty easy for most people.”

How easy? A donation of $6 provides a student with a free breakfast coupon redeemable on campus — offering encouragement and a tangible reminder that their ULethbridge community is behind them.

The annual initiative that last year saw 1,560 breakfast coupons purchased, nearly $10,000 raised in donations, is eyeing doubling that support this year and doubling the positive impact it has for students. With alumni, faculty, staff and friends supporting the campaign, the effort sends a powerful message to students that their community is behind them.

“I was a student who received one of the coupons for Buy a Student a Breakfast during exams, and it really made me feel like I could do it and that there was a team behind me,” says Shanna Brown (BHSc ’16), coordinator of Campus Life Housing. “It means that the village is coming together. It’s our faculty, our community and our alumni who build this wonderful network of support that really wraps around our students.”

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s alumni community has long been a major supporter of BASAB and Cyndi Crane (BMus ’95, MEd ’01), president of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association, says all alumni can relate to the pressures students face this time of the semester and how nutrition plays a part in fueling the mind and setting them up for success.

“My hope for this year’s campaign is that we reach every single ULethbridge alumni, all 55,000-plus, and I want them to go back to that moment, that moment where they were that student writing that test,” she says. “I want them to remember that time in their life when they needed support — and a breakfast like this is that warm hug that everybody deserves.”

First-year Dhillon School of Business student Joshua Nilsson is thankful to the donors who support the program.

“For sure it makes me feel supported,“ he says. “Just knowing there’s someone out there who cared enough to donate their money to help a broke student like me eat, have a good breakfast, it’s great.”

The BASAB campaign runs through Tuesday, Dec. 2, after which coupons will be available to be picked up and utilized by students during the exam period. Those looking to donate can visit: ulethbridge.ca/giving/buy-student-breakfast.

Buy A Student A Breakfast campaign can make all the difference

trevor.kenney — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 18:53:49 +0000

Sometimes it’s the smaller gestures that result in the biggest impact. As ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students gear up for late night study sessions and stressful final exams — a free breakfast and an encouraging note can make all the difference.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s annual Giving Tuesday campaign — Buy A Student A Breakfast (BASAB) — begins tomorrow when students at both ULethbridge’s Lethbridge and Calgary campuses can pick up coupons purchased by thoughtful supporters. A pledge of just $6 buys a coupon redeemable for one breakfast sandwich and a piece of fruit at Urban Market (Lethbridge campus) or a breakfast sandwich with a small coffee or tea at the Tim Hortons in the Centre for Sport and Wellness. Calgary campus students will receive Tim Hortons gift cards.

“Thanks to the generosity of our alumni and community supporters, we were able to purchase 1,037 breakfasts for students last year,” says Cyndi Crane (BMus '95, MEd '01), ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association president. “I’m really looking forward to handing out coupons on Wednesday, along with many other alumni and supporters from the community. I remember as a student how stressful it can get at this time of year.”

Student food security has been an ongoing issue in recent years and as food prices continue to rise, so too has the financial pressure on students. This is even more acute toward the end of a semester.

“It might not sound like much — one free meal — but it’s so much more than the $6 pledge, rather it’s an acknowledgment that they are part of a community that values their well-being and wants to see them flourish and succeed,” adds Crane.

The BASAB campaign has been collecting donations in advance of Giving Tuesday so that alumni and community volunteers would be ready to begin giving out coupons this week. This gives students more time to redeem the gifts before end of semester.

To make a gift and share an encouraging message for a student, visit go.uleth.ca/buy-breakfast.

UNews - Buy A Student A Breakfast

Buy a Student a Breakfast campaign blasts past goal, sets new record of student support

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��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ community comes together to support Buy a Student a Breakfast campaign

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