got breakfast?(R) Foundation Announces Silent Hero Summer Grant Winners

WOODBURY, N.Y., May 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The got breakfast?® Foundation this week awarded eight Silent Hero Grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to participants in the federal Summer Nutrition Program.  The grants were available to public schools, non-profit private schools, local governments, National Youth Sports Programs or 501c(3) non-profit organizations. The grant monies can be used for such needs as serving equipment, staffing, and nutrition education materials.  

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"The response was unbelievable," says Sonya Kaster, R.D., L.D.N., S.N.S., Grant Administrator for the Silent Hero Program.  "The Foundation received hundreds of applications from across the U.S., requesting more than $6 million in funding to provide summer meals.  We received applications from park districts, church programs, summer school programs, day camps, youth sports programs, and more.  The winning entrants demonstrated need, creativity and practicality of implementing their summer feeding programs."

Once summer starts and the school breakfasts and lunches have stopped, millions more low-income children go hungry each day.  According to the 2008-2009 report Hungry Doesn't Take a Vacation, issued by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), of the 17 million low income children participating in school lunch, only three million were reached in the 2008 summer feeding program.  The federal Summer Nutrition Programs are designed to fill the need of hungry children when schools are on vacation.

The Silent Hero Grant Program was created to encourage schools and non-profit organizations to expand the reach of underutilized child nutrition programs, including the School Breakfast Program and now, Summer Nutrition Programs.   To be considered for the summer feeding grant, projects were to be based on creating, continuing or expanding federal Summer Nutrition Programs. "We wanted to reward those silent heroes who will expand their reach to offer summer meals to kids – whether it's classroom breakfast in summer school, or breakfast at day camps," says Kaster.

The mission of the got breakfast? Foundation is to ensure that every child, regardless of background, starts the school day with a nutritious breakfast in order to learn, grow and develop to his or her fullest potential.  

For information about the got breakfast? Silent Hero Grant Program contact [email protected] or visit the www.gotbreakfast.org website.

SOURCE got breakfast? Foundation