Rally Kicks Off Campaign to Promote Classroom Breakfast for Hispanic School Children in Texas

DALLAS, Oct. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Chanting in unison, "We want classroom breakfast!" more than 1,000 children ate breakfast together Saturday morning at a rally sponsored by Accion America. The rally kicked off an effort to promote healthy eating habits among the fast growing Hispanic population of Texas and raise awareness about the benefits of Breakfast in the Classroom programs.  Attending the rally were kids from 60 soccer teams, parents, representatives from school districts throughout Texas, and the mayor.

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Hosted by Accion America in partnership with the Oak Cliff Soccer Association, the rally was held at Kiest Park in Dallas. The got breakfast? Foundation donated breakfast and milk to more than 1,000 children involved in the ongoing soccer program that takes kids away from negative activity into positive recreational and team-building programs.

The rally included guest speakers Mike Rawlings, Mayor of Dallas, Texas; Estafania Shine, Program Director of Learning4Today; and attorney and President of the Oak Cliff Soccer Association, Richard Munoz.  They encouraged parents to get their kids to participate in current school breakfast programs and become got breakfast? Ambassadors for Breakfast in Classroom programs within Texas. And where those programs do not exist, parents were encouraged to talk to principals, teachers and school administrators to get on board with Breakfast in Classroom programs.  A video of the event is available on YouTube, under Got Breakfast Rally.

Carlos Quintanilla, President of Accion America, whose organization served over 100,000 meals to children this summer, emphasized the importance of eating healthy and getting school districts to participate in Breakfast in Classroom programs by addressing the myths that go along with failure to have this program available to all students.

"Breakfast in Classroom programs are successful for many reasons, while serving breakfast in the cafeteria has its limitations from a functional standpoint," explains Quintanilla. "Classroom by classroom ensures that all children get a healthy meal. The district actually saves money and breakfast becomes profitable in the long run." 

By switching from the traditional cafeteria breakfast to serving "grab 'n' go" classroom breakfasts, schools can feed more children. "For school districts with high free or reduced fee student population, cafeteria breakfast is a dinosaur," says Gary Davis, founder of the got breakfast?  Foundation.  "Cafeteria breakfast is fiscally inefficient and socially impractical.  For school districts truly desiring to feed more eligible children breakfast each school day while positively impacting their bottom line 100 percent, classroom breakfast is the real and proven solution."

According to the Food Research and Action Center's School Breakfast Scorecard for 2009-2010, serving Breakfast in the Classroom is a key strategy for increasing participation rates.  Studies show kids who eat breakfast perform better in school. Research has documented the following benefits of Breakfast in the Classroom:

• Improvements in attendance
• Reduction in tardiness
• Fewer stomachaches and visits to the nurse
• Higher test scores
• Fewer disciplinary problems
• Improved diets
• Reduction in obesity rates

Accion America is an organization dedicated to helping the growing Hispanic population in Texas. For more information, contact Accion America at 214-524-1011 or visit the company website at www.accionamerica.com.  For information on the got breakfast? Foundation, visit www.gotbreakfast.org.

SOURCE Accion America; got breakfast? Foundation