Contact: Johanna Elsemore at 202.478.6554 or jelsemore@strength.org
Washington, DC – The national anti-hunger campaign No Kid Hungry has announced six winners of its 2020 School Breakfast Hero contest. This year’s inspiring line up of champions come from all walks of life, proof that ending childhood hunger takes all of us. Whether they spend their days speaking on the statehouse floor, preparing gourmet cakes and pies or serving up healthy school meals – each is using a unique talent to make sure kids start the day with a healthy meal.
Breakfast is an energy source for kids, but 1 in 7 kids in America lives with hunger and may start the school day on an empty stomach. Research shows that hunger has long-term ramifications on children, including lower test scores, weaker attendance rates, and a higher risk of hospitalizations and chronic diseases. School breakfast is a critical way to end childhood hunger. No Kid Hungry’s School Breakfast Hero award celebrates individuals who are helping to ensure all kids in America are powered by breakfast by using their voices to build awareness, enact smart policies, raise critical funds and implement breakfast after the bell programs in schools.
Among this year’s breakfast heroes is Stephanie Slingerland, Kellogg Director of Philanthropy and Social Impact. One of No Kid Hungry’s national breakfast sponsors, Kellogg has raised more than $4.5 million since the launch of the partnership in 2013. Stephanie has grown the partnership year over year, spearheading numerous promotions, campaigns and events that have raised critical awareness and funding that enable No Kid Hungry to connect thousands of children with a healthy school breakfast each day.
A true champion of No Kid Hungry’s mission to end childhood hunger, she regularly goes above and beyond with creative thinking and dedication that have led to an extraordinarily successful partnership. On top of the national work Stephanie has made possible, she’s been a strong champion for school breakfast in her own community of Battle Creek, Michigan, where she’s worked to get all schools up and running with strong school breakfast programs.
“As a corporate leader in the anti-hunger space for more than 10 years we can always count on Stephanie to use her voice to raise awareness for the issue and get others on board to join us and help make No Kid Hungry a reality,” said Jill Davis, Share Our Strength’s chief revenue officer.
In addition to her role at Kellogg Stephanie also sits on No Kid Hungry Leadership Council, providing strategic guidance that helps No Kid Hungry broaden its reach to raise funds, build awareness, and advance our programmatic work.
Accessing traditional cafeteria breakfast service can be challenging for many kids due to transportation delays, stigma and other barriers. Breakfast after the bell allows students to get breakfast after the school day starts in the classroom or from grab and go carts. This makes breakfast convenient and accessible to students, resulting in more kids starting the day ready to learn.
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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But 1 in 7 kids will face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization working to end hunger and poverty. Join us at NoKidHungry.org