Since March has come to an end, we look back fondly to another National School Breakfast Week come and gone. The amazing Hunger Heroes who work tirelessly to ensure that kids get that most important meal of the day each and every school day shined even brighter March 4 through 8, finding new and creative ways to celebrate the importance of a nutritious school breakfast in fueling students for success.
School breakfasts are an excellent way to ensure kids get the consistent nutrition they need to feel better, learn more and grow up strong. Studies show that kids who eat school breakfast are more likely to excel academically, be more alert, and have better concentration. Students who eat school breakfast achieve 17.5% higher scores on standardized tests and attend 1.5 more days of school per year. Those higher attendance rates lead to a 20% greater likelihood of high school graduation. All very good reasons to celebrate school breakfast.
In Sullivan County, Tennessee, Ketron Elementary School celebrated National School Breakfast Week and presented the Excellence in Breakfast Award to Principal Sherri Devault and Cafeteria Manager Brittany Glover in acknowledgement of the school’s long-running successful Grab’n Go breakfast program, supported in large part through No Kid Hungry. Assistant Principal Cathy Anderson accepted on behalf of Principal Devault, without whose support the breakfast program would not have achieved such success. Sullivan County Public School Nutrition Supervisor Amber Anderson was on hand to present the awards and enjoy a tasty morning meal with the students.
Over in Scott County, Tennessee, Supervisor Cathy Buttram and the school nutrition team at the Oneida Special School District were hard at work preparing special breakfast treats each day of National School Breakfast Week. Students enjoyed egg and potato boats, a fruit & yogurt bar, overnight oats, fiesta breakfast nachos and tater tot tacos—something different each day of the week at their Second Chance Breakfast cart, purchased with a grant from No Kid Hungry. Middle/High School Manager Stacy Bowling received the Excellence in Breakfast Award for her amazing efforts on behalf of the students and their nutritional needs.
Other schools and districts throughout the state celebrated National School Breakfast Week in various ways. The focus of this one week is on breakfast, but nutrition teams everywhere work hard every week, ensuring that their students receive the nutrition they need to go through each school day energized and ready to learn. Their dedication is something to celebrate, all year round.
NKH was happy to support each of these districts with a grant to support their breakfast after the bell and breakfast work in the state. Our next granting cycle is focused on summer non-congregate feeding in rural communities. To learn more about our grant cycle, click here. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until April 19th, 2024.