Olympian Charles Hamelin teams up with Breakfast Club of Canada to fight food insecurity in schools

One of Canada's most decorated winter Olympians, Charles Hamelin, is carving out a new path for himself by teaming up with the Breakfast Club of Canada.

Having recently retired from professional sports, the 38-year-old short-track speed skater says he's ready to give back.

"We want to give every kid a chance that when they go to school, they have the chance to achieve the best they can -- in a classroom, in the gym, everywhere," he said.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist says as a father to two-year-old Violette, he understands the devastating effects poverty and food insecurity can have on young children whose only priority should be getting a good education.

"She just turned two; she's not going to school yet, but I'm more and more aware of kids going to school and I'm more touched by all those things because I'm a parent," Hamelin tells CTV News. "I understand more and more the difficulties that some families can have to send their kids with a breakfast already from home."

He notes COVID-19 shutting down the world allowed him to be a more present parent during his daughter's early years.

"I was home all the time, so I was spending time with my family, with my girlfriend and my little girl," Hamelin said, adding he also did his best to keep up his training. "I was able to see all those developments, like the first walk, the first word, the first papa, maman, all those things that I would probably have been away from home, and I would have gotten the news by FaceTime or Zoom."

Friday, Hamelin marked his involvement with the Breakfast Club of Canada by surprising teachers and students at Mountainview High School in Côte Saint-Luc, a city on the Island of Montreal.

It's the latest stop on his cross-Canada trip, which already saw him surprise students in Vancouver, Edmonton and Winnipeg.

"That's why the program is there, for those times you can't afford a breakfast for every single morning for the kids," he said."It's a way to relieve a little bit of pressure on those families in terms of money and making sure that they can spend the money somewhere else for the family to help the kids grow."

Over the last year, the Breakfast Club of Canada says it has seen an increase in families needing its services, stating that one in three children risk going to school on an empty stomach.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, that number was one in four.

"I did not believe it because, for me, it's just normal to go to school and have breakfast and start the day on a good basis," said Hamelin. "You go to school to have the same chance to learn the best you can because if you go with an empty stomach, you're not as aware as all of the other students."

There are currently 486 programs offered by the Breakfast Club of Canada across Quebec, serving meals to 67,000 children daily.

Anyone looking to support the Breakfast Club of Canada is encouraged to visit their Amazon wishlist.