Colorado School Breakfast Challenge Launches
Posted by Ruth Stemler on Monday, August 2, 2010
Colorado ranks 42nd among states in terms of school breakfast participation, according to the Food Research and Action Center.
That’s one of the reasons we launched the Colorado School Breakfast Challenge last week at the statewide meeting of the Colorado Association of School Executives.
Our Campaign to End Childhood Hunger in Colorado — a partnership between Governor Bill Ritter Jr., Share Our Strength and Hunger Free Colorado — has made free and reduced-priced breakfast participation a priority. We’re focused on getting more Colorado kids participating in school breakfast and the Challenge aims to reach at least 15,000 more children with school breakfast each day in the first year.
Our associates at The Colorado Department of Education and school food service directors across the state have helped make this launch happen! Approximately 750 school superintendents, principals and other executives attended the launch session to hear Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. speak.
“We want more children to take advantage of the school breakfast program so they can start the day with a nutritious meal, which will help them perform better in class,” Gov. Ritter said. “This is about reducing childhood hunger and giving our youngest citizens the best chance to succeed.”
Ken Weil and Adrian Miller of the Governor’s office, Kathy Underhill of Hunger Free Colorado and I sat with first lady Jeannie Ritter to listen to the Governor’s address. The Governor’s wife is a former teacher and expressed to us the urgent need for this campaign. Everyone attending received a “cereal box” with a breakfast expansion guide, official Challenge guidelines, and a letter from the Governor and Education Commissioner Dwight Jones.
Immediately following the Governor’s speech a workshop was held for Administrators wanting to learn more about school breakfast. Panelists included: Jill Kidd, food service director, Pueblo Public Schools, Tami Anderson, Western Dairy Association, Mike Little, principal of Jefferson High School, Jefferson county school district, the largest in the state, and Kathy Underhill.
I was very pleased to have the opportunity to have a chance to chat with Governor Ritter and thank him for his state and national leadership on this issue. It was quite a morning
August 2, 2010 | 0 comment(s) | Tags: colorado, Cooking Matters, event, no kid hungry, Operation Frontline, school breakfast
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