Richmond, Va. (January 15, 2025) – As more youth than ever eat breakfast at Virginia schools, new school nutrition grants from No Kid Hungry Virginia will help to continue expanding student breakfast access in 2025.
An additional 25,000 students participated in school breakfast programs during the last school year, marking the largest year-over-year increase in the past decade according to state data recently reviewed by No Kid Hungry Virginia. On average, 381,200 youth ate breakfast at school from September 2023 to February 2024.
To support and enhance these efforts, No Kid Hungry has announced more than $201,600 in grants to 10 school districts across the state.
Funds will enable school nutrition teams to implement flexible Breakfast After the Bell initiatives, including grab-and-go meals, breakfast in the classroom and second chance breakfast models, to help ensure more students start their day prepared for success.
The following organizations received grants:
- Salem City Public Schools
- Halifax County Public Schools
- Alexandria City Public Schools
- Chesterfield County Public Schools
- Spotsylvania County Public Schools
- Fairfax County Public Schools
- Virginia Beach City Public Schools
- Williamsburg-James City Public Schools
- Roanoke City Public Schools
- Montgomery County Public Schools
“School breakfast helps students reach their full potential,” said Sarah Steely, Director of No Kid Hungry Virginia. “The latest grants will support districts in connecting more kids with school breakfast. We are committed to helping school nutrition teams across the state in their efforts to make breakfast accessible to every child, no matter what. Together, we’re working to ensure every child has the nutrition they need to thrive.”
Studies show that eating breakfast at school improves students’ ability to focus, perform academically and attend classes regularly.
Yet only about 42% of students who are eligible for free meals eat breakfast at school. Barriers such as early bus schedules, busy mornings and stigma prevent many from accessing this critical meal.
Meanwhile childhood hunger continues to be a pressing issue in the commonwealth, with as many as 1 in 7 kids in Virginia facing food insecurity. Nutrition programs like school breakfast help to alleviate hunger.
No Kid Hungry Virginia leverages Breakfast After the Bell, which makes breakfast a part of the school day by serving it in the classroom or at convenient kiosks, as a critical tool to boost school breakfast participation.
Research commissioned by No Kid Hungry shows that schools adopting Breakfast After the Bell experience an average six-point drop in chronic absenteeism, highlighting the program’s significant impact on student outcomes. By making breakfast more accessible, schools create an environment where students are better equipped to learn and thrive.
To learn more, visit https://state.nokidhungry.org/virginia.
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But millions of kids in the United States live with hunger. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.