TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced the twelve winners of the 2020 inaugural Florida Breakfast Challenge. The winning schools achieved the largest percentage increase in breakfasts served from January-February 2019 and January-February 2020 in categories based on their grade levels and enrollment sizes. The winners will receive $1,000 and cafeteria equipment courtesy of No Kid Hungry and the Dairy Council of Florida.
“School meals are crucial to the overall health and well-being of the 2.9 million Florida students that receive school lunch,” stated Commissioner Nikki Fried. “I am proud to recognize the hundreds of schools that participated in the Florida Breakfast Challenge and our winners who went above and beyond to increase participation in their breakfast programs. With each step we take to address chronic hunger and reduce the distraction of hunger in the classroom, we can ensure that Florida’s students have the nutrition they need to succeed.”
Open to any school participating in the National School Breakfast Program, Commissioner Fried launched the Florida Breakfast Challenge in August of last year in partnership between the Dairy Council of Florida and No Kid Hungry as a way to increase student participation in school breakfast. During the Breakfast challenge, close to Florida 700 schools pledged to increase breakfast participation by implementing new service models, increasing breakfast promotion to students and parents, or other means.
“Every morning, the School Breakfast Program provides students essential nutrients to fuel their minds and bodies to start their academic day,” said Dairy Council of Florida Director Teresa Moran-Wiebe. “Florida’s dairy farmers are proud to provide both products and support to this worthy program and congratulate all of the schools that created innovative breakfast strategies.”
“I congratulate the winners of Florida’s inaugural School Breakfast Challenge and applaud all the schools that participated for their commitment to making sure all students start the day ready to learn,” said No Kid Hungry Florida Director Sky Beard. “All this amidst what has been anything but a typical school year. When the coronavirus closed schools, it could have put many Florida kids at risk of going hungry. Instead, school nutrition staff from these districts and many others across the state stepped up to ensure they continue to be fed.”
Elementary School Winners:
- Sunlake Academy of Math and Science, Hillsborough County
- Lakeview Elementary School, Sarasota County
- Channelside Academy of Math and Science, Hillsborough County
Middle School Winners:
- Lyons Creek Middle School, Broward County
- Deerlake Middle School, Leon County
- Daniel Jenkins Academy, Polk County
High School Winners:
- Lakewood Ranch High School, Manatee County
- Wakulla High School, Wakulla County
- Bell Creek Academy High School, Hillsborough County
Combination Grade Schools:
- Palm Pointe Educational Research School, St. Lucie County
- Independence Academy, Hillsborough County
- Hillsborough Academy of Math and Science, Hillsborough County
For more information about the Florida Breakfast Challenge and school breakfast resources, visit FDACS.gov/BreakfastChallenge.
–FDACS