KICK Program Wins National Award!

CONTACT is thrilled to announce that our KICK (Kids in the Community Kitchen) Program was this year’s national winner of the Dietitians of Canada and Kraft Canada’s ‘Speaking of Food and Healthy Living Award’!   

This annual award honours initiatives that support Canadians in their quest to eat healthier and be more active.  Winners were selected by a panel of leaders from the dietetic profession, physical activity sector, food industry, media, academia, and government.

KICK is a free program that provides children aged 8 to 13 years a fun and interactive way to learn about healthy eating, cooking skills, meal preparation and physical activity in a safe, friendly and supportive environment.

Our winning entry included two amazing toolkits that were developed by CONTACT based on the successful delivery of KICK in our community.

The KICK – Kids in the Community Kitchen Program Toolkit is designed for anyone who is looking for a fun and interactive way to introduce children to healthy eating, cooking skills, and physical activity. Parents, teachers, youth group leaders, and health care educators will find this toolkit easy-to-use and filled with “kid-tested and approved” activities that aim to increase children’s knowledge, skills and self-confidence so that they can make healthier lifestyle choices.

The Volunteer Youth Leader Training Toolkit is a guide to involving youth leaders in food programs. This toolkit is designed for community-based organizations, health care educators and those who work or want to work with youth volunteers. It includes great resources for the recruitment of youth, as well as four workshops on food safety, healthy eating, active living, and working with children.

Both of the toolkits are now available on our website at for free!  Just visit our KICK Toolkit Page to download a copy. We hope you find these toolkits helpful in involving children in healthy eating and physical activity. 

We want to thank everyone in the community who has supported KICK, and we would especially like to thank The Baxter International Foundation for their grant to fund a Registered Dietitian for the program, local Baxter Corporation employees for their enthusiast support of KICK, and the Alliston Firefighters Association for their involvement in helping to support the program!