Hungry kids don’t have lobbyists. They don’t make campaign contributions and can’t vote. So the fact that barely half of our nation’s kids who need breakfast are getting one often goes unnoticed.
It’s up to us to speak up on their behalf. That’s why as we work to connect 1 million more kids with healthy school breakfast, we need you to help send 1 million messages about the importance of school breakfast. We’re challenging America’s leaders — governors, mayors, school boards, principals and others — to stand up for kids and help close the “breakfast gap” in their own communities.
We know this goal is achievable. Since the launch of the No Kid Hungry campaign, more than 2 million kids have already been added to the school breakfast program. We’ve seen breakthrough legislation, policy changes and wins in Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, Los Angeles and New Orleans.
We have the potential to connect 1 million more low-income children in this nation to school breakfast over the next two school years. To get this done, let’s stand a million strong for breakfast. We’re telling leaders across the country about the importance of breakfast, and how they can help.
Take action today: Urge your representative to fully support school meal programs in your state to help our kids live up to their full potential!
To whom it may concern:
We send our students off to school armed with books, paper and pencils so they are prepared to learn, but we don't always make sure they start the day with breakfast. As a constituent and supporter of Share our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign, I care about hungry kids getting breakfast, and sincerely hope you do too.
Research released by the No Kid Hungry campaign shows school breakfast is essential to our students because it helps prepare them for success in both school and in life. On average, students who eat school breakfast have been shown to achieve 17.5% higher scores on standardized math tests, attend more days of school and are more likely to graduate.
The problem? Just over 50% of eligible kids are actually eating school breakfast. The solution: moving breakfast from the cafeteria before school, to the classroom after the morning bell. This makes it part of the school day, and ensures more kids are getting the food they need every day.
No Kid Hungry, in collaboration with Deloitte, has created a tool that can help. The No Kid Hungry School Calculator is a resource that allows school officials to examine the financial benefits of using alternative models to provide crucial meals to kids. It can be found at http://NoKidHungry.org/SchoolCalculator, and I ask you to share it with education officials with whom you work.
Kids who consistently get a healthy breakfast feel better, learn more and grow up stronger. Many of the big issues our nation is tackling today - health care costs, economic competitiveness, income inequality, academic achievement - have their roots in childhood hunger. Simply put, ending childhood hunger is a big step in achieving a stronger, healthier nation. Success starts with breakfast and that's something we need to arm every child with.
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Sincerely,
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