RELEASE: Winners Announced in 2020 No Kid Hungry School Breakfast Hero Contest

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.

The following individuals and teams were named 2020 No Kid Hungry Breakfast Heroes:

• Los Angeles Chef Valerie Gordon (Valerie Confections)

Last spring, Valerie joined No Kid Hungry in Sacramento to ask California lawmakers to approve funding in the state budget for breakfast after the bell; when the FY19-20 budget passed in June, it included $500,000 to reinstate breakfast after the bell grants for school districts. Valerie celebrated this as an advocate, a longtime California resident and as a mom. "Growing up attending public school in San Francisco, my classmates and I knew which kids received free school meals,” says Gordon. “Today, because of breakfast after the Bell, children are not only protected from that stigma but also start the school day with this important meal more regularly." In addition to using her voice to promote strong policy solutions, Valerie has been instrumental to No Kid Hungry’s fundraising and awareness efforts by helping engage chefs and entrepreneurs in Taste of the Nation events. In June, she’ll hop on her bicycle and ride 300 miles for Chef Cycle, raising funds and awareness to ensure all kids in America can start each day with breakfast. 

• Massachusetts Rep. Aaron Vega, Rep. Andy Vargas and Sen. Sal DiDomenico

No Kid Hungry recognizes the leadership of three state legislators who are dedicated champions for expanding access to school breakfast in Massachusetts. Led by Senator Sal DiDomenico in the Massachusetts Senate and Representatives Aaron Vega and Andy Vargas in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, breakfast after the bell legislation recently passed unanimously in both chambers of the Massachusetts State Legislature. Once enacted, this legislation will increase access to school breakfast to over 150,000 low-income students across the commonwealth by making it a part of the school day. “Smart legislation is one of the most effective ways to increase participation in school breakfast programs,” said Bernadette Downey, Share Our Strength’s associate director, government relations and advocacy. “Once this legislation is enacted, thousands more kids in Massachusetts will get the nutrition they need to reach their full potential – thanks to the strong leadership of these three breakfast heroes.” No Kid Hungry is an active member of Rise and Shine Massachusetts, a statewide coalition of over fifty hunger-relief and education organizations advocating for state legislation that increases equitable access and participation in school breakfast.

• Abby Favela (youth ambassador with Hunger Task Force, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 

As a No Kid Hungry youth ambassador, Abby Favela is working with the Milwaukee-based anti-hunger non-profit Hunger Task Force to make sure kids in Wisconsin are fueled and ready to learn. Her outreach efforts for this year’s Wisconsin School Breakfast Challenge have helped boost enrollment by over 200%, with nearly 200 schools now signed up to see who can reach the most students with breakfast. Abby’s work doesn’t stop there: She recently put out a one-pager on culturally appropriate school meals and published an article on equity in Hunger Task Force’s 2020 School Meals Report Card. “Abby is a passionate young leader who has already begun to distinguish herself as an advocate working to end child hunger,” said Maureen Fitzgerald, Hunger Task Force’s director of advocacy. “We’re thrilled to see her receive this well-deserved national recognition and can’t wait to see where her career takes her.”

• Stephanie Slingerland (Director of Philanthropy & Social Impact, Kellogg Company)

One of No Kid Hungry’s national breakfast sponsors, Kellogg Company has raised more than $4.5 million since the launch of the partnership in 2013. As Kellogg Director of Philanthropy and Social Impact, 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.

• Mikhail Cherniske (Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction)

Since joining the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in 2018 to support implementation of the Washington Kid Ready to Learn Act, Mikhail has been a steadfast champion for the School Breakfast Program and breakfast after the bell. He goes above and beyond to work within his role to meet the federal regulations while also encouraging schools and school districts to implement robust breakfast after the bell models that serve all students. Mikhail regularly connects schools with the resources and technical assistance they need to implement an effective sustainable, and robust breakfast after the bell program that increases access for all students. Implementing statewide systems change is not an easy feat, yet everyday Mikhail demonstrates his commitment to ensuring all Washington students have access to the nutrition they need to reach their full potential by continuing to be a thoughtful partner and leader.

• Erika Phillips & Mandy Kenner (Hawkins County School District, Tennessee)

When Coordinated School Health Director Erika Phillips saw the data on how many students in Hawkins County School District were missing breakfast each morning, she was determined to find a way to implement breakfast after the bell district wide. She joined forces with Child Nutrition Director Mandy Kenner to gain the support of district leaders and get input from each principal on which model would work best in their school. In October, Hawkins County began serving breakfast after the bell at all 18 schools and credit flexibility and teamwork for the successful district-wide implementation. Educators say grab and go breakfast has been a great leadership opportunity for their students and school nurses reported fewer morning visits thanks to the new opportunity to grab breakfast between classes.

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.

In addition to these national winners, No Kid Hungry announced today their 2020 School Breakfast Hall of Fame.