Perry County leads the way with 11 grants
Submission
Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) andKellogg’s have awarded 95 schools in 26 states between $750 and $1,000 each, through theKellogg’s Share Your Breakfastprogram, and significant in-kind contributions from AFHK, to help increase the schools’ participation in the national School Breakfast Program.
The Kentucky schools netting grants areBath County Schools: Owingsville Elementary; Bellevue Independent Schools: Grandview Elementary; Perry County Schools: Perry Central High School, Leatherwood Elementary, A.B. Combs Elementary, Big Creek Elementary, Buckhorn School, Chavies Elementary, Dennis Wooton Elementary, Robinson Elementary, R.W. Combs Elementary, Viper Elementary and Willard Elementary.
The grants were awarded to schools already participating in the national School Breakfast Program, and as part of AFHK's andKellogg's joint commitment to get 1 million breakfasts to kids in need during the 2011-2012 school year.
Kellogg’s provided grant funding, while AFHK has committed to provide the schools with significant in-kind contributions in the form of people, programs, management, support and policy expertise.
Together, the contributions will allow administrators in the 71 elementary schools, 15 high schools and nine middle schools to develop alternative breakfast programs, such as Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab and Go and Second Chance Breakfast, or to start universal breakfast programs so that kids who might otherwise miss out on that crucial first meal of the day at home can get it in school.
“There’s no question these are very challenging economic times," says Rob Bisceglie, executive director of Action for Healthy Kids. "So it’s not surprising that one in five kids in this country are sent to school each day from homes where food is not always available, making breakfast hard to come by. At the same time, research supports a positive link between breakfast and performance. That’s why the Share Your Breakfastprogram is so important. We're helping schools take advantage of the national School Breakfast Program, which is an important safety net for the nation’s most vulnerable children.”
In all, the awarded schools have an enrollment of 65,555 students, with 76 percent qualifying for free and reduced meals and 76 percent opting for school lunch. Meanwhile, only 36 percent participate in the School Breakfast program.