Action for Healthy Kids® and Kellogg’s® Celebrate the Power of School Breakfast with Schools Across the Country

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Action for Healthy Kids® and Kellogg’s® Celebrate the Power of School Breakfast with Schools Across the Country

CHICAGO (March 4, 2013) – Throughout March, Action for Healthy Kids® and Kellogg’s® will help schools around the United States celebrate the powerful impact of school breakfast on students with family and community breakfast events made possible by the Kellogg’s Share Breakfast ™ program.

Kids who eat well, learn better. In fact, research shows that breakfast can help kick-start a child’s metabolism, energy and focus for learning[1] and can help set them up for a more successful day.[2],[3] Preliminary studies reveal that students participating in school breakfast programs generally had fewer school absences and tardiness than children who did not participate.[4]

That’s why Action for Healthy Kids and Kellogg’s are teaming up for a third consecutive Share Breakfast program. The goal of the program is to share one million breakfasts with kids across the country who might otherwise go without by helping schools create or improve existing breakfast programs to increase overall participation in the national School Breakfast Program.

During the first two years of the partnership, grants funded by Kellogg’s Share Breakfast and awarded to schools by Action for Healthy Kids through its School Grants for Healthy Kids program, have been awarded to more than 100 schools in 36 states, along with grant support, to increase participation in their school breakfast programs. To date, the program has shared more than two million breakfasts with children in need.

“Through our partnership with Kellogg’s and the Share Breakfast program, we’re able to increase participation in the national School Breakfast Program and get more than one million nutritious breakfasts to kids who otherwise might not get a healthy start to their day,” says AFHK CEO Rob Bisceglie. “At a time when one in five kids in this country live in homes where breakfast is hard to come by, it’s important we’re helping to feed kids in need so they are ready to learn.”

This month, in recognition of school breakfast programs and the Share Breakfast program, 12 schools (of 70), which received the grants, will hold special events ranging from family and community gatherings to large community events. During National Breakfast Week, March 4-8, 2013, Kellogg’s and its partners are also hosting breakfast events in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. to raise awareness of the issue of child hunger and rally Americans to join the Share Breakfast movement.

“At Kellogg, we strongly believe in the power of breakfast. Through Kellogg’s Share Breakfast, we can help make a difference by giving children the start they need to unlock their potential,” said Doug VanDeVelde, Kellogg senior vice president of marketing, ready-to-eat cereal.

Visit ShareBreakfast.com to learn about all the ways families can get involved for Share Breakfast 2013.

School Breakfast Events:

Alabama

• Family breakfast: Booker T. Washington High School, 3801 West Martin Luther King Highway, Tuskegee, Ala. 36083, Week of March 18.

Arkansas

• Local community breakfast: Mansfield Middle School, 400 Grove Street, Mansfield, Ark. 72944, March 8.

California

• Family breakfast: Ingenium Charter School, 22250 Elkwood Street, Canoga Park, Ca. 91304, March 4-8.

Louisiana

• Family breakfast: St. Tammany Jr./Sr. High, 701 Cleveland Ave., Slidell, La. 70458, March 8 and week of March 11.

Nebraska

• Family breakfast: North Star High, 5801 North 33rd St., Lincoln, Neb. 68504, March 4, 6, and 8.

New Mexico

• Local Community breakfast: Animas Elementary School, 1612 N. Hutton Ave., Farmington, N.M. 87402, March 7.

New York

• Family breakfast: Ogdensburg Fee Academy, 1100 State St., Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669, March 21.

North Carolina

• Local community breakfast: Sterling Elementary, 9602 China Grove Church Rd, Pineville, N.C. 28134, March 7.

Tennessee

• Local community breakfast: East Elementary, 1560 N. 30th Ave., Humboldt, Tenn. 38343, week of March 4.
• Family breakfast: Oneida Elementary, 195 North Bank St., Oneida, Tenn. 37841, March 6 and 7.

Texas

• Community breakfast: Hodge Elementary, 3900 Grant Parkway, Denton, Texas 76208, March 4 and all week.

Wisconsin                          

• Family breakfast: River Heights Elementary, 615 24th St. W, Menomonie, Wis. 54751, March 8th

About Action for Healthy Kids®

Action for Healthy Kids® (AFHK) fights childhood obesity, undernourishment and physical inactivity by helping schools become healthier places so kids can live healthier lives. The organization partners with a legion of dedicated volunteers - teachers, students, moms, dads, school wellness experts and more - from within the ranks of their 34,000+ constituency to create healthful school changes. After all, everyone has a part to play in ending the nation’s childhood obesity epidemic. AFHK’s programs, tools and resources make it possible so that many people can.

AFHK’s grassroots efforts are supported by a collaboration of more than 70 organizations, corporations and government agencies. Working together, they’re giving kids the keys to health and academic success by meeting them where they are - in the classroom, in the cafeteria and on the playground - with fun physical activity and nutrition lessons and changes that make it possible for them to eat nutritiously and play every day. More information is available at www.ActionforHealthyKids.org, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Action-for-Healthy-Kids/267076500068?ref=mf and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Act4HlthyKids.

About Kellogg Company

At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we are driven to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter. With 2012 sales of $14.2 billion, Kellogg is the world’s leading cereal company; second largest producer of cookies, crackers and savory snacks; and a leading North American frozen foods company.  Every day, our well-loved brands nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. These brands include Kellogg’s®, Keebler®, Special K®, Pringles®, Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Kashi®, Cheez-It®, Eggo®, Coco Pops®, Mini-Wheats®, and many more. To learn more about our responsible business leadership, foods that delight and how we strive to make a difference in our communities around the world, visit www.kelloggcompany.com.

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[1] Kleinman RE, Hall S, Green H, Korzec-Ramirez D, Patton K, Pagano ME, Murphy JM. Diet, breakfast, and academic performance in children. Ann Nutr Metab. 2002;46 Suppl 1:24-30.

[2] Kosti RI, Panagiotakos DB, Zampelas A, Mihas C, Alevizos A, Leonard C, Tountas Y, Mariolis A. The association between consumption of breakfast cereals and BMI in schoolchildren aged 12-17 years: the VYRONAS study. Public Health Nutr. 2008 Oct;11(10):1015-21.

[3] Cooper SB, Bandelow S, Nevill ME. Breakfast consumption and cognitive function in adolescent schoolchildren. Physiol Behav. 2011 Jul 6;103(5):431-9.

[4] Kleinman RE, Hall S, Green H, Korzec-Ramirez D, Patton K, Pagano ME, Murphy JM. Diet, breakfast, and academic performance in children. Ann Nutr Metab. 2002;46 Suppl 1:24-30.

For information, please contact:        
Lorna Grisby, communications manager
Action for Healthy Kids
lorna@actionforhealthykids.org
(312) 878-7672