CHICAGO (October 5, 2017)—Action for Healthy Kids® (AFHK) announces the 40 school districts and more than 175 schools that are recipients of School Breakfast Grants for the 2017-2018 school year, provided through funding from Kellogg Company and Kellogg Company Fund. The School Breakfast Grants help schools and school districts pilot or expand their National School Breakfast Programs in order to increase access to breakfast for more students and help them have a nutritious start to the school day.

Data shows that children who start the day with breakfast tend to do better in school[1]. Breakfast can help kick-start metabolism, energy and focus for learning and can help set children up for the day ahead[2],[3]. Unfortunately, millions of children don’t get that kick-start they need to help be alert to learn in the classroom. Less than half (48 percent) of students participating in the National School Lunch Program also participated in school breakfast programming in 2016 (30.4 million lunch participants vs. 14.7 million breakfast participants according to the USDA). That number is a slight increase from 2014 but still indicates that millions of low-income children are not receiving a nutritious breakfast available to them at school.

Schools will use their grants to purchase equipment and cover other program costs that enable them to expand school breakfast participation through alternative breakfast models, such as breakfast in the classroom and grab ‘n go breakfast. These alternative breakfast models help schools overcome many of the barriers that keep students from accessing school breakfast. A complete list of funded schools can be found at ActionforHealthyKids.org/Kellogg.

“Nationwide, so many more kids are eligible for school breakfast than actually participate. Programs like alternative school breakfast help to bridge that gap and provide vital nutrition to kids who need it the most,” said Rob Bisceglie, CEO Action for Healthy Kids. “With the support of dedicated partners like Kellogg we have reached more and more schools each year and helped them increase their school breakfast participation, giving students a proper start to their school day.”

“Because we know the power of breakfast in fueling better days and better lives, we’re pleased to continue our long-time partnership with Action for Healthy Kids. School breakfast grants not only provide students with access to a nutritious breakfast each day, but in turn may improve the school experience for thousands of children,” said Julie Bosley, Director, Philanthropy, Kellogg Company.

With support from Kellogg, AFHK has provided funding and technical support to 1,744 schools, helping them to serve more than 23 million new breakfasts to 153,770 hungry or undernourished students since 2009. Together, they have helped schools take advantage of the National School Breakfast program and increase breakfast participation among their students, on average, by 39 percent.

Expanding school breakfast programs is part of Kellogg’s Breakfasts for Better Days global signature cause, launched in 2013. Through Breakfast for Better Days, Kellogg is seeking to fight hunger and feed potential by expanding breakfast programs around the globe and maximizing product donations. To date, Kellogg has supported programs that have provided more than 1.9 billion servings of cereal and snacks to children and families in need around the world through Breakfasts for Better Days.

About Action for Healthy Kids®
Action for Healthy Kids® is a nationwide grassroots network mobilizing school professionals, families and communities to take actions that improve school foods, nutrition education and physical education for all students. With funding opportunities, expert technical assistance, and our flagship program, Game On, Action for Healthy Kids provides full support to schools and families to develop healthy school environments where children thrive. To learn more about the ways our 120,000+ volunteer network is helping to make every kid healthy and ready to learn, visit us at ActionforHealthyKids.org , on Facebook (act4healthykids) and on Twitter (@Act4HlthyKids).

About Kellogg Company
At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we strive to make foods people love. This includes our beloved brands –Kellogg’s®, Keebler®, Special K®, Pringles®, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Cheez-It®, Eggo®, Mini-Wheats® and more – that nourish families so they can flourish and thrive. With 2016 sales of $13 billion and more than 1,600 foods, Kellogg is the world’s leading cereal company; second largest producer of crackers and savory snacks; and a leading North American frozen foods company. And we’re a company with a heart and soul, committing to help create 3 billion Better Days by 2025 through our Breakfasts for Better Days global purpose platform. To learn more, visit www.KelloggCompany.com or www.OpenforBreakfast.com and follow us on Twitter @KelloggCompany, YouTube and on our Social K corporate blog.

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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.