Are You a Silent Hero? got breakfast?(R) Foundation Launches Grant Program

WOODBURY, N.Y., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ — The got breakfast?® Foundation this week launched its Silent Hero Grant Program to award up to $100,000 in grants to public schools, non-profit private schools and non-profit organizations participating in the national School Breakfast Program. The program recognizes, encourages and rewards those silent heroes who help children start their day off right by serving breakfast. The grant monies can be used for such needs as serving equipment, staffing, food, and nutrition education materials.

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The Silent Hero Grant Program was created to encourage schools and non-profit organizations to expand the reach of underutilized child nutrition programs, most notably the School Breakfast Program. While 18 million low income children participate in the National School Lunch Program each day, only 8 million participate in the School Breakfast Program.

“It’s a fact that millions of children go to school hungry each day, even though the resources are there to feed them,” explains Sonya Kaster, R.D., L.D.N., S.N.S., Grant Administrator for the Silent Hero Program. “In addition to the grant money, millions of dollars in federal funding for the School Breakfast Program go unused each year – money that would feed millions of hungry children at little or no cost to schools.”

Whether the reasons for not eating breakfast are financial issues or lifestyle issues – such as simply not having the time in the morning – research has shown that hungry children don’t learn. Children who eat breakfast do better in school: they have higher test scores, less rates of absenteeism, less visit to the school nurse, less behavior problems, and overall better health. A typical school breakfast provides 25 percent of the recommended amounts of protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C for the day.

Are you a Silent Hero?

Or do you know one? The got breakfast? Foundation wants parents, school board members, school administrators, and school food service directors to advocate for breakfast programs at their schools.

“One of our goals is to help educate communities across the country on the lifelong benefits of eating nutritious meals,” says Kaster. “We hope the Silent Hero Grant Program will act as a catalyst for schools to give the breakfast program a try.”

Any public, non-profit private school or non-profit organization that participates in the national School Breakfast Program and provides alternate breakfast service options can apply for a grant. The Alternate Service Breakfast Grant helps those who serve breakfast in the classroom, grab-n-go, or any other alternate site meal service outside the standard cafeteria lunch line. Priority selection will be given to programs creating a breakfast program where one did not exist before.

Grants will range between $2,500 to $10,000. The deadline for submitting the application is December 1, 2009. Finalists will be notified by January 15, 2010.

For information about the got breakfast? Silent Hero Grant Program or to obtain a Request for Application (RFA), contact info@gotbreakfast.org or visit the www.gotbreakfast.org website.

SOURCE got breakfast? Silent Hero Grant Program