San Antonio, TX, September 7: This morning No Kid Hungry and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg joined Frank Madla Elementary School students for breakfast in the classroom, which is being offered for free at all elementary and middle schools across South San Antonio School District for the first time this school year.
Franco Cruz with No Kid Hungry Texas presented Interim Superintendent Henry Yzaguirre with the “Lone Star Breakfast Award” for the district’s hard work to ensure all students can start their day with a nutritious breakfast to fuel their learning.
“I want to underscore the impact of what South San Antonio School District has accomplished this year by expanding breakfast in the classroom to all elementary and middle school students,” said Cruz. “Offering breakfast in the classroom helps overcome barriers like rushed mornings, bus schedules and even stigma, ensuring more students can access the consistent nutrition they need to learn, grow and reach their full potential.”
No Kid Hungry provided South San Antonio ISD with $125,000 in grant funding this year to purchase the equipment necessary to expand breakfast in the classroom to all eleven of the district’s elementary and middle schools, including insulated bags and coolers, breakfast carts, refrigerators, trash cans and more.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg helped serve breakfast to students, and presented a mayoral proclamation acknowledging the important role school breakfast has in fueling kids for success. Mayor Nirenberg is an inaugural member of the Mayoral Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, launched by No Kid Hungry in 2022 to harness the leadership of mayors to end childhood hunger in communities nationwide.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg helped serve breakfast to students
“As kids across San Antonio are heading back to school this fall, it’s paramount that they be set up for success in and out of the classroom,” said Mayor Nirenberg. “Beyond books, desks and school supplies, that includes starting each day with a nutritious breakfast so they can focus on their classwork and on just being kids.”
Eating school breakfast has a powerful effect on kids. Research shows that children who eat breakfast are more focused, score significantly higher on tests, and miss less days of school. South San Antonio ISD already operates under the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows all of the district’s 7,600 students to eat breakfast and lunch at no cost. This new initiative will help ensure more students are able to eat school breakfast by providing breakfast in the classroom at the beginning of the school day.
Representatives from the Mayor’s Fitness Council and DairyMAX, both collaborating partners in the district-wide breakfast in the classroom initiative, were both in attendance to support the rollout.