During my entire K-12 school career, I never once brought lunch from home. So I always appreciated our school foodservice director who worked to create meals that provided a taste of home during the school day. Growing up in northwest Iowa, I especially liked it when pizza or our local favorite, tavern sandwiches, were on the lunch menu.
Today, nearly 30 million students eat school lunches and about half that many also eat school breakfast[1]. School meals are an important source of nutrition for many children and an essential lifeline for those who qualify for free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches.
That’s why Kellogg’s Specialty Channels business is celebrating school meals and the outstanding school foodservice directors who create them by sponsoring the Elevate the Plate Challenge, in partnership with No Kid Hungry.
We know kids can be picky eaters. We also know there is no nutritional value in uneaten food. We’re excited to honor and learn from school foodservice directors who are creating Instagram-worthy breakfasts and lunches that bring students to the table.
Through the Elevate the Plate Challenge, Kellogg and No Kid Hungry will award ten $5,000 grants to schools that are leading the way in creating innovative, delicious, replicable approaches that encourage kids to enjoy school meals. Entries close November 15th and we’ll announce the winners by December 6th.
Our support of the Elevate the Plate Challenge is part of our Kellogg’s® Better Days global signature cause platform focused on helping to end hunger by addressing the interconnected issues of food security, climate resiliency and well-being for people, communities and the planet. Our goal is to create Better Days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030.
We know we can’t achieve this ambitious goal alone. That’s why we’re partnering with No Kid Hungry and others. Since we launched Kellogg’s® Better Days, we’ve made a significant impact. In the last two years alone, we’ve delivered more than 1.2 billion Better Days by donating 1.1 billion servings of food and connecting kids in need with up to 47 million meals. We’ve also supported farmers, encouraged our employees to volunteer and invited people to join us on our journey.
I’m excited to learn what today’s school foodservice directors have to share. In the meantime, more information on how we are driving growth through purpose via Kellogg’s Better Days is available in our latest Corporate Responsibility Report.