To celebrate the heroic efforts of school districts and child nutrition teams across the state as they continue to provide much needed nutrition to their students as the pandemic persists.
Research shows that simply ensuring students enjoy breakfast as part of the school day can lead to improved education and health outcomes. After supporting all Arkansas school districts over the last 12 years with school breakfast implementation and emergency meal support grants and technical assistance, we are pleased to note that Arkansas ranks #5 in the nation in school breakfast participation!
This year during School Breakfast Month we are celebrating the heroic, front-line and difficult work of all of our school district child nutrition teams as they managed to continue to provide much-needed, nutritious school meals to their students through the pandemic, whether students were attending school in person or remotely, and whether meals were served in the cafeteria, in the classroom, in outdoor cafes, offered for pick up, delivered to bus stops, or even delivered to students’ homes. We want to honor all child nutrition and school district staff and highlight their amazing work throughout the pandemic. We are challenging districts to send us stories telling of their child nutrition successes during the pandemic, and all entrants will receive gift cards to support their child nutrition departments.
On Tuesday, March 1, we’ll virtually kick off School Breakfast Month with a state proclamation and video message from Governor Asa Hutchinson. Throughout the month, we’ll share stories from schools across the state who participate in our School Breakfast Month Challenge.
The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance has worked closely with the Governor’s office since 2010, when the Alliance became lead partner for the No Kid Hungry Campaign in Arkansas. The campaign is supported by our national No Kid Hungry sponsor, Share Our Strength, and focuses on ensuring all Arkansas children have access to good nutrition where they live, learn and play, every day all year long. A key component of the No Kid Hungry campaign is our effort to expand access to and increase student participation in school breakfast by supporting school districts to offer Breakfast After the Bell options or other school meal delivery innovations that improve meal participation. We want to make sure all Arkansas students get the nutritious meals at school they need to succeed and to thrive.
Partners: Arkansas Governor’s Office, Arkansas Department of Education – Division of Elementary and Secondary Education – Child Nutrition Unit, American Heart Association/Arkansas Healthy School Meals for All Coalition, Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, and the Arkansas No Kid Hungry Campaign