Middle School receives breakfast grant from General Mills
The Child Nutrition Fitness Initiative Breakfast Grant program, sponsored by General Mills Foodservice as part of a partnership effort with the National Dairy Council to help improve student access to high-quality, nutritious foods at school, recently awarded grants to three Midwest Dairy Council-area schools including: Cheney Middle School in West Fargo, $2600; Eagle Ridge Junior High School in Burnsville, Minn. $3,000; and Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Okla. $2,100.
General Mills Foodservice awarded a total of $100,000 in funding, up to $3,000 each, to 42 K-12 schools across the country to help them build or expand their school breakfast programs with an emphasis on alternative serving options, such as breakfast in the classroom. The grant program was open to schools within the United States enrolled in the "Fuel up to Play 60" program for the 2010-2011 school year. "Fuel Up to Play 60" is a partnership between National Dairy Council and the National Football League, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), to empower youth to take action to improve nutrition and physical activity at their school and for their own health.
Research shows that consuming breakfast, particularly school breakfast, as part of a healthful lifestyle, is positively associated with children's health and academic performance. Breakfast consumption reduces hunger and contributes to the nutritional quality of children's and adolescents' diets. In contrast, children who skip breakfast generally have lower intakes of nutrients than those who regularly consume breakfast and these low intakes are not compensated for at other meals.
