The Summer Meals Program grant cycle has opened! Grants will help organizations expand access to and participation in United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) supported summer meal programs. To learn more about the Summer Food Service Program visit the USDA’s website.

• Mini-grants up to $5,000 are to be used for equipment, personnel, transportation, and other non-food program expenses. New and returning sponsors are eligible to apply for this grant. Mini-Grant Application Deadline is April 13, 2018. 

For more information and to apply for a grant, visit Summer Meals Grant.

The CACFP At-Risk After-School Meals Summit that was scheduled to take place on Monday April 2, 2018 has been CANCELED.  We will reschedule this event for the Fall and look forward to your participation. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and want to extend assistance and support to sponsors or partners that may need additional help regarding the At-Risk After-School Meals Program.  Please feel free to reach out to us with questions.

Sincerely,

Rise & Shine Illinois
773-843-5492
slozada@gcfd.org

Breakfast After the Bell has facilitated a 200 percent increase in breakfast participation at 4 Wheeling Township District 21 schools. U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider and district officials gathered at Mark Twain Elementary School Thursday, January 25th to the celebrate the district successful implementation of Breakfast After the Bell. Breakfast After the Bell stems from a state law where schools with 70 percent or more of the student population eligible for free or reduced-price meals offer breakfast after the instructional day has begun.

Schneider said children receiving free breakfast no longer are eating early in one location where everyone can see them, “kids pay attention to these things and use labels to describe programs and others who participate in these programs. There should be no stigma associated with getting your day off to a good start.”

The full story can be viewed here

2017 Rise & Shine Illinois Breakfast After the Bell Grant Recipient, DeLand-Weldon School District was featured on WCIA for its Breakfast in the Classroom program. Teachers are finding that after implementing Breakfast After the Bell students are calmer and more focused in class than when breakfast was offered before school started. The District sees Breakfast After the Bell as the right way for students to start their day.

Visit illinoishomepage.net for the story.

Join Rise & Shine Illinois and the Cook County Intermediate Service Centers, for Breakfast After the Bell Summits. School stakeholders (superintendents, principals, food service professionals, business managers) are invited to attend one of the three sessions.

Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Network with the USDA Mid-West Regional Office, Illinois State Board of Education, and No Kid Hungry Team
• Receive expert advice around the challenges for implementing Break-fast After the Bell Programs
• Engage with your peers who have implemented successful Breakfast After the Bell Models
• Learn more about financial support and other resources for your School Breakfast Programs

*Attendees will have a chance to win a $200 Amazon gift card for your school nutrition program!*

To register for the Breakfast After the Bell Summit click on the link of the location near you:

January 22, 2018                         January 23, 2018                       January 26, 2018

9:00 – 11:00 AM                          9:00 – 11:00 AM                          9:00 – 11:00 AM

4413 W. Roosevelt Road            253 West Orr Road                       2340 South River Road

Suite 104                                   Chicago Heights, IL 60411            Suite 201

Hillside, IL 60162                                                                            Des Plaines, IL 60018

Congratulations to the Illinois schools that received a Rise & Shine Illinois School Breakfast Grant in 2017!!!!

We applaud your commitment to provide students with the healthy school breakfast they need to learn and succeed in the classroom.

Rise & Shine Illinois partners with No Kid Hungry to provide grants to schools implementing or preparing to implement a Breakfast After the Bell delivery model (Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab ‘N’ Go, or Second Chance Breakfast). 2017 School Breakfast Grant Recipients Listing

Be on our 2018 list and apply for a school breakfast grant today! Applications submitted by March 30, 2018 will be reviewed and awarded by April 6, 2018.

Illinois schools with 70% or more of the student population eligible for free or reduced-price meals are to offer Breakfast After the Bell.

Rise & Shine Illinois School Breakfast Grants brought to you by No Kid Hungry will support schools implementing or preparing to implement a Breakfast After the Bell delivery model (Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab ‘N’ Go, or Second Chance Breakfast) with the purchase of approved equipment, supplies, or materials to facilitate increased student participation in school breakfast. Maximum request amount is $5,000. Applications submitted November 2 through March 30 will be reviewed and awarded by April 6, 2018. For grant guidelines and to apply: Breakfast After the Bell Grant Application 

Join us Thursday, August 3rd  2pm – 3pm CST via webinar to walk through the No Kid Hungry Grants Portal, how to register and login, how to complete a breakfast grant application, and resources available for the implementation of your Breakfast After the Bell model.

Register today! After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

This webinar is highly recommend for schools looking to apply for future breakfast grant funds from No Kid Hungry, or those who need a refresher on breakfast program implementation resources and how to access our online grants portal.

Beginning in the 2017-18 school year, Illinois schools with 70% or more of the student population eligible for free or reduced-price meals will begin offering Breakfast After the Bell.

Rise & Shine Illinois School Breakfast Grants brought to you by No Kid Hungry will support schools implementing or preparing to implement a Breakfast After the Bell delivery model (Breakfast in the Classroom, Grab ‘N’ Go, or Second Chance Breakfast) with the purchase of approved equipment, supplies, or materials to facilitate increased student participation in school breakfast. Maximum request amount is $5,000. Applications submitted July 10th thru August 20th will be reviewed and awarded by September 8, 2017. For grant guidelines and to apply: School Breakfast Grant Application 

Join us for our annual Chicago Summer Meals Kickoff  event that promotes and brings awareness to the Summer Meals program. The USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP); also known as the Summer Meals program is administered by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and provides nutritious meals to kids, age 18 and younger during the summer months. The Summer Meals program ensures children’s bodies and minds are healthy, strong and ready for the next school year.

In Illinois 1 in 5 children do not know where their next meal will come from. Many children struggle with food insecurity when school is out during the summer as they no longer have access to free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). To help close this gap, the Summer Meals program serves meals to children in the summer who rely on free and reduced-price meals during the school year.

In 2016, at over 1,200 summer meal sites, Chicago served approximately 2.8 million meals of the 5.4 million meals served statewide to children. Despite these numbers, the Summer Meals program is severely underutilized. According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) for every 100 children who eat a meal in NSLP, only 14 receive a meal during the summer months in Illinois. The Summer Meals Kickoff event is one opportunity to help reach more children. Kickoff the summer with us at Horner Park, Friday June 23rd!