Connecticut School Breakfast Summit

Keynote Speaker

Governor Dannel P. Malloy

Special Guests

Food Network's Chopped Judge Chef Marc Murphy

Food Network's School Lunch Chopped Champion Chef Cheryl Barbara

Clear Channel Radio, Connecticut Director of Community Affairs & Programming Renee DiNino

Friday, May 4th, 2012

8:00am-4:00pm

(Registration 7:30-8:15)

Rentschler Field, Main Hall

East Hartford, CT

Register Here

The deadline to register for the Summit has been extended to 4 pm on Thursday, April 26*

~Sponsored by CT No Kid Hungry~

 

Please join us to learn about the federal School Breakfast Program and how it can foster continued excellence and academic achievement in your students and schools! Hear from national and state experts on how to start, expand, and advocate for School Breakfast in your school or community.

Audience: School Administrators, Teachers, Community Members, Food Service Directors, and School Nurses.

Registration Details:

Fee: $15 per person (meals provided)**

SNA CEUs: 5.0/ SDE CEUs: 0.5

SPEAKERS: JAMES ARENA-DEROSA, Northeast Regional Administrator USDA Food and Nutrition Service; DAYLE HAYES, Award-winning author, educatorand nutrition coach, MADELEINE LEVIN Senior Policy Analyst Food Research Action Center

Topics will include:

• Overcoming challenges and barriers

• Steps to getting school breakfast started

• Funding opportunities and financial impact

• Creative breakfast service and increasing program participation

• Reaching out to families

*Onsite registration may be available, but space is limited, so register by April 26 to reserve your seat.

Partners

Connecticut School Breakfast Expansion Team

School Nutrition Association of Connecticut

End Hunger Connecticut!

New England Dairy & Food Council

Food Research and Action Center

Connecticut State Department of Education
Connecticut Department of Administrative Services

NEW HAVEN PUBLIC SCHOOLS CENTRAL KITCHEN UNVEILS FOOD TRUCK TO PROVIDE FREE SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS

Thanks to United Way, New Haven School Food is going mobile with a new food truck that will serve kids throughout the city free healthy and nutritious meals this summer.



New Haven School Food unveiled the truck today at a dedication ceremony. NHPS Executive Director of Food Services Chef Tim Cipriano praised United Way of Greater New Haven for providing the funds to buy the truck.



“I want to thank United Way for its generosity in donating the money to purchase this food truck,” Cipriano said. “Thanks to United Way, we will bring good food directly to kids this summer and in future summers. This truck was certainly a team effort and the idea stems from a manager meeting a few years back where one of the managers from my team, Aisha Flynn, mentioned how cool it would be to have a converted ice cream truck to pass out meals to underserved neighborhoods. The truck today is where that vision has taken us.”



“Good nutrition is an essential building block for healthy growth and development and educational success. Often, the biggest barrier for kids and teens to participate in the free summer meals program is not being able to get to where they served. Embracing Gov. Malloy’s Connecticut No Kid Hungry Campaign charge - “We’ve got to make this work for everybody. We’re going to make this work in Connecticut.”- United Way and New Haven School Food are tackling the transportation barrier by bringing meals to where kids and teens live.”



United Way’s Summer Food Truck grant will enable NHPS to deliver two free meals a weekday – 1,000 free meals a day – to children living in underserved neighborhoods throughout New Haven. Federal funds will pay for the program.

New Haven School Food and United Way are partners in the Connecticut No Kid Hungry Campaign, an initiative to end childhood hunger in Connecticut by 2015 led by Gov. Dannel Malloy, End Hunger Connecticut! and Share Our Strength. This is the first food truck to serve free summer meals to children and teens in Connecticut.



Almost one in five Connecticut households with children -- 18.7% -- struggle to put food on the table, meaning more than 127,000 children in the state are considered food insecure. More than 75% of New Haven students qualified for free and reduced price school meals in 2010. However, of students enrolled in school meals programs, only one in four received meals last year through the federally-funded Summer Food Service Program.



“Kids and teens do not stop needing healthy meals when school is out,” Cipriano said. “In fact, summer can be one of the toughest times for families who rely on school food programs to make ends meet. Thank you to the United Way and Lt. Governor Wyman for sharing this historic day with us.”



The truck will be hitting the streets soon, just some last minute adjustments needed and it will be on the road! Here is the plan of sites and times once service begins:



School                            Address                      Lunch                          Supper

Betsy Ross School         150 Kimberly Ave       10:30am-11:15am       4:00pm-4:45pm

Helene Grant School      185 Goffe Street           11:30am-12:15pm     5:00pm-5:45pm


Microsociety School       311 Valley Street          12:30pm-1:15pm      6:00pm-6:45pm

End Hunger CT! launches new Summer Food Website and Mapper for Connecticut No Kid Hungry!

End Hunger CT! launches new

Summer Food Website and Mapper

for Connecticut No Kid Hungry!

Visit http://www.ctsummerfood.org/ for everything Summer Food!



This new interactive website will help families and providers find summer meal locations where all children 18 and under can enjoy free and healthy meals all summer long.



Features of the website include:

-Location/Site Finder with mapping feature

-Details about each site including; meals served, dates/times of service

-Driving, walking, public transit, or bike directions to sites

-Frequently Asked Questions about Summer Food

-Other resources for food in Connecticut

-Information about the Connecticut No Kid Hungry Campaign and its activities



Frequently Asked Questions about Summer Food



What is Summer Food?

Summer Food is common name for the federal Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option of the National School Lunch program. Summer Food provides free, nutritious, meals and snacks to kids and teens, 18 years of age and younger, throughout the summer when school is out.



What kind of food is served?

Summer meals meet federal nutrition guidelines and are comprised of milk, fruits, vegetables, grains, and meat or another protein. To see if particular dietary substitutions can be made, parents or caregivers should contact the sponsor of the program. Sponsor contact information, when available, can be found by using the Location Finder. Some locations serve breakfast and snacks as well as lunch.



What kind of paperwork and/or registration is there?

No paperwork required.

No registration required.

No identification (ID) required.



What is the cost of these meals?

There is NO cost!

All summer meals are FREE of charge to all kids & teens, 18 years of age and younger, at participating summer meals locations.



What else do kids & teens do at the locations besides eat? Some summer meals locations do have activities to help create a fun environment for kids & teens. Activities can be arts and crafts, team sports/outdoor activities, board games, or reading activities. Certain summer meals sites also have nutrition education lessons, gardening sessions, and/or visits from local community guests.



What do adults do while the kids and teens are eating?

Parents and/or guardians should feel free to:

> Chat with other parents and guardians;

> Help get their kids' meal(s) ready if they need help opening or cutting something;

> Assist the site supervisor if they need help; and/or

> Check out the activities offered to kids & teens at the location.



What kind of supervision is there at the locations?

Kids & teens are supervised at the summer meals locations by adult site supervisors and volunteers.

Funding for this website is provided by our national partners:

Summer Meals in New Haven grows to new heights!

Great news for summer food in New Haven!




Today through July 15th Independent Outdoor, a digital billboard company has donated ad apace to us to promote our summer meals program!

Jpegs of the English and spanish signs are below:

The location is on heavily travelled Interstate 95 at the Q-Bridge. We are very excited to work with the community to advertise such a great program.


Check out the *NEW* CT Summer Food website, http://www.ctsummerfood.org/ for a location finder and great resources!

News Advisory: Governor Malloy, Share Our Strength to Announce Launch of Campaign to End Childhood Hunger

 
MEDIA ADVISORY                                                     
March 22, 2011 
 
CONTACT:
Ariane Holm
aholm@strength.org
C: 571-213-6465/O: 202-649-4350
 
Lucy Nolan
lnolan@endhungerct.org                            
C: 860-966-2816/O: 860-560-2100                                                                             
 
GOVERNOR MALLOY, SHARE OUR STRENGTH® TO ANNOUNCE LAUNCH OF
CONNECTICUT ‘NO KID HUNGRY’ CAMPAIGN
Partnership with End Hunger Connecticut! Will Connect More Children to Summer Meals and After School Supper Programs
 
MIDDLETOWN, CONN. (March 22, 2011) – Share Our Strength® and End Hunger Connecticut! will be joined by Governor Dannel P. Malloy, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon, State Senate President Donald Williams, State Speaker of the House Christopher Donovan and an influential group of state and city leaders from the private, public and nonprofit sector to announce the launch of the Connecticut No Kid Hungry® Campaign at Macdonough Elementary School in Middletown on Wednesday, March 23 at 4:30pm ET.
 
More than 127,000 children in Connecticut are at risk of hunger. Partners at the press event will announce steps to reach measurable, first-year goals to increase participation in the Summer Food Service Program and After School Supper Program.  Only 25 percent of children eligible for summer meals participate in the program and more than 24,000 children are eligible for but don’t participate in the After School Supper Program. The Connecticut campaign is part of the national No Kid Hungry Campaign to end childhood hunger in America by 2015 which is spearheaded by the national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength.
 
WHAT:                 Press conference to announce the Connecticut No Kid Hungry® Campaign
 
WHEN: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 4:30 p.m. ET
 
WHERE: Macdonough Elementary School, 66 Spring St, Middletown, CT 06457
WHO:   Dannel  P. Malloy, Governor, State of Connecticut; Lucy Nolan, Executive Director, End Hunger Connecticut!; Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary, Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services USDA; Donald Williams, Senate President Pro Tempore, Connecticut General Assembly; Christopher G. Donovan, Speaker of the House, Connecticut General Assembly; Billy Grant, Restaurant Bricco Chef and Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation Committee Chair; Timothy Cipriano, Chef, City of New Haven Executive Director of Food Services and Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation Committee Chair; Chris Buchanan, Senior Manager, Public Affairs and Government Relations, Northeast Region, Walmart.
 
OTHER: Contact Ariane Holm to attend the press conference or request interviews at aholm@strength.org or 571-213-6465; Contact Juliet Manalan for interviews with Governor Malloy 860-524-7314 or juliet.Manalan@ct.gov.
###
 

CONGRESSWOMAN DELAURO AND USDA OFFICIAL TO JOIN NEW HAVEN STUDENTS FOR THEIR FIRST TRIP THROUGH THE SCHOOL SALAD BAR

District Launches 

Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools!

On the first anniversary of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign to fight childhood obesity, New Haven Public Schools is launching an exciting health initiative, Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools!  Thanks to NatureSeal and the United Fresh Produce Association Foundation, New Haven has been awarded two salad bars, which will give students an unlimited selection of fresh produce during lunch each day. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro & US Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Dr. Janey Thornton will speak with students and administrators about this initiative and join students for a trip through the salad bar.  For more information on the national Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, visit http://saladbars2schools.org/.

 

When:  Thursday, February 3, 2011

             11:00am-12:30pm

           

Where:  Mauro-Sheridan Science, Technology and Communications School

              191 Fountain Street, New Haven, CT 06515

Feeding CT Kids TOGETHER: State Legislative Breakfast

Today, three (3) Connecticut organizations, the Connecticut Dietetics Association (CDA), End Hunger CT! (EHC!), and the School Nutrition Association of CT (SNACT) banded together to talk about Child Nutrition with our legislators in Hartford.

This breakfast meeting was the first of its kind for Child Nutrition Professionals in CT and was a great opportunity to come to the Legislative Office Building next to the State Capitol and find out how you can help CT's legislators understand child nutrition programs. Talking points and first timer tips were made available.

The agenda was chock full of speakers from the three organizations talking about advocacy and how to talk to your legislators. The presentations were very upbeat and kept the participants fully engaged for an hour until the Legislative Breakfast was to begin. The room was full of child nutrition professionals and many Dietetic Students from area colleges and Universities. The training session began with:

• Madeleine Diker, Food Service Director for Cheshire Schools and the State Public Policy Coordinator for SNACT reviewed the 2011 CT Legislative Issue Paper.

• Dawn Crayco, Deputy Director of EHC! and Teresa Dotson, Puplic Policy Coordinator for CDA reviewed the talking points for the day.

• Cindy Brooks, Food Service Director of Seymour Public Schools & Public Policy & Legislation Committee Chair for School Nutrition Association gave "First Timer' tips to the attendees.

• Colleen Thompson & Paula Leibovitz of CDA gave an overview of http://www.kidseatright.org/

At 9:20 am the first collaborative Legislative Action Breakfast for School Nutrition in CT officially began with the following speakers from the three organizations discussing the importance of child nutrition:

• Colleen Thompson, President of CDA
• Eileen Faustich, President of SNACT & Food Service Director for Milford Schools
• Lucy Nolan, Executive Director of EHC!

Lucy Nolan had the distinct pleasure to introduce Senate Pro Tem Donald Williams.

SIDE NOTE: Senator Williams has been a champion of Child Nutrition issues for many years and at just about the same time CDA, EHC! and SNACT organized this breakfast Senator Williams reached out to me to discuss how the CT Legislature can support everything that we, Child Nutrition Professionals, do with our programs that will cost very little to do. The state of CT like every other state is facing huge budget gaps and needs to find creative ways to make changes and also find creative ways to support Child Nutrition in CT. We met several times and instead of reinventing the wheel Senator Williams decided we could piggyback of the Let's Move Program developed by the First Lady...Let's Move Connecticut was born.

Senator Williams alerted everyone in the room that he started the day with a healthy breakfast of stove top oatmeal with walnuts. He then spoke of the challenges associated with operating a Child Nutrition Program (CNP) in CT and how unfunded mandates only make our jobs more difficult. He also mentioned that his wife is a school administrator and she speaks often of the challenges of getting the students through the line, having them sit and eat healthy foods (all for less than a couple bucks per meal) without fighting in the cafe and getting them back to class and somehow CNP's are supposed to also break even

The Senator brought up some very important points to remember as we move into a tough budget time; partnerships and close working relationships to get through tough times. One of the parnerships he spoke a lot about is the partnership CT is entering with the First Lady's Let's Move Program by rolling out Let's Move Connecticut. The basic jist is to have Let's Move Connecticut be the vehicle to keep CT not only at the forefront of child nutrition but to continue to lead the way. Let's Move Connecticut will include bringing in Registered Dietitians into Schools, working with Chefs Move to Schools and getting CT schools signed up with the Healthier US School Challenge (HUSSC). Estimates out there suggest that as many as 2/3 of CT's schools will qualify already for the HUSSC. 

The Farm to School Program is popular in CT and local food in CT adds $3 billion to the economy so this is a program that more school districts can become actively involved in!

CT is last in the country for student participation in the breakfast program and Let's Move Connecticut and its partners will support efforts to increase these numbers. (FRAC School Breakfast Report Card 2009-2010)

Let's Move Connecticut will be the collaborative that is organized to begin training programs for school nutrition workers when the USDA allocates those funds. Let's Move Connecticut will be ready to work with school nutrition programs to adapt to the new dietary guidelines. Let's Move Connecticut will be the driving force supporting school nutrition programs in CT.

The Senator wrapped up his comments by alerting the attendees to think outside the box, he then thanked everyone for their commitment to feeding our children.

Senator Williams then took questions from the audience:

• Beth Gankofskie, Food Service Director of Mansfield Schools: "Should we, as attendees who are going to visit our legislators promote the current CT Nutrition Standards and ask them to keep the current funding stream intact?" The Senator highly encouraged the attendees to speak about the importance of feeding kids healthier foods and how if that funding was eliminated how programs would be forced to serving less than desirable food again.

• Alan Belchak, Food Service Director of West Haven Schools: "In the 1980's CT was given a block grant to supplement school meal funding. That grant was for $2.35 million dollars and at the time offerred an $.08 per lunch reimbursement. Since that time our meal participation has increased dramatically and the reimbursement is currently about $.04 per lunch served. Will we see an increase in the amount of that grant anytime soon?" The Senator explained how CT received that funding and reiterated that with the current fiscal crisis that block grant will remain the same and how CT like many other states are fighting to stay in check.

Let's Move Connecticut will also be the collaborative that is organized to begin training programs for school nutrition workers when the USDA allocates those funds. Let's Move Connecticut will be ready to work with school nutrition programs to adapt to the new dietary guidelines. Let's Move Connecticut will be the driving force supporting school nutrition programs in CT.

Most importantly from a Childhood Hunger standpoint, this program ties into and supports President Obama's pledge to end childhood hunger by 2015 and aligns perfectly with Connecticut's No Kid Hungry Campaign to End Childhood Hunger. Go to http://www.nokidhungry.org/ to take the PLEDGE!

Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Sch
Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, Timothy Cipriano, Local Food Dude, End Hunger CT!, School Nutrition Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move to Schools, 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Association, Let's Move!, Chefs Move
 

Feeding CT Kids Together

On Wednesday, January 19th, three (3) Connecticut organizations, the Connecticut Dietetics Association, End Hunger CT!, and the School Nutrition Association of CT will band together to talk about Child Nutrition with our legislators in Hartford.


This breakfast meeting is for Child Nutrition Professionals in CT is an opportunity to come to the Legislative Office Building next to the State Capitol and find out how you can help CT's legislators understand child nutrition programs. Talking points and first timer tips will be provided.


This is a great opportunity to show Hartford that Child Nutrition needs to be a priortity in our state. In New Haven, CT over 80% of our children qualify for free & reduced meals; 1 in 4 children lack access
to nutritious meals. The meals we serve in our schools, for some children are the ONLY meals of the day.


Childhood Obesity and Childhood Hunger go hand in hand. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act that the President just signed into law last week has a new competitive grant process for states to carry out strategies to end childhood hunger.  CT needs to lead the way in this mission so we will begin to see a decrease in hunger & obesity related issues in our schools. Our kids aren’t hungry because we lack food or because of a lack of food and nutrition programs. They are hungry because they lack ACCESS to these programs and to the nutritious food they need to grow and thrive!


In Connecticut:

• 1 in 3 eligible students participate in School Breakfast programs, these numbers are some of the lowest in the country. Increase in breakfast participation gets the students ready for the day, alert and ready to learn. Something as simple as Breakfast, will improve overall education in our schools.

• 1 in 4 eligible children participate in summer meals programs. In a press release from June 2010, Lucy Nolan, Executive Director from End Hunger CT! stated, the gap is one clear measure of the depth of summer hunger in Connecticut. It is a measure as well of how the state is failing to draw down available federal funds. If the state were to reach just 40 children with summer food for every 100 low-income children who get school lunch during the regular school year, a goal some other states reach, Connecticut would have fed almost 20,000 more children every day in July 2009 and brought in $1.35 million more federal dollars to do so.

Now, more than ever our kids need our support with strong advocacy for child nutrition. Child Nutrition Advocates in Connecticut do a good job banding together to create change. This meeting is a fantastic opportunity to tell your legislators, the officials you voted for and that 'speak' for us in Hartford how you feel and how important it is for them to keep Child Nutrition as a priority in CT!