MSCS gets $50K to expand breakfast in schools program. Here's what it means for students

John Klyce, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·3 min read
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You’ve all heard the old adage: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And the No Kid Hungry campaign, part of the national nonprofit Share Our Strength, is keen on ensuring that all children have the chance to eat it.

No Kid Hungry Tennessee has provided a $50,000 grant to Memphis-Shelby County Schools, which will help the district increase the number of students it serves breakfast to. Already, MSCS provides breakfast for its students, but the funds are letting its nutrition team also offer the meal to students who arrive at school late, after the start of classes.

The breakfast ― which is the same food offered to the students who arrived on time ― started being served in mid-October, and it’s available in eight schools: Bolton High School, Melrose High School, Overton High School, Westwood High School, Douglass High school, Booker T. Washington Middle and High School, Cordova Middle School, and Hickory Ridge Middle School.

Students picking up breakfast at Booker T. Washington Middle and High.
Students picking up breakfast at Booker T. Washington Middle and High.

“We would love for them to show up on time,” said Marissa Spady, a senior field manager for No Kid Hungry Tennessee. “But either way, things happen, and we want them to know that breakfast would be available if they’re late.”

The schools used the grant from No Kid Hungry Tennessee to purchase things related to the breakfasts, like insulated bags, carts, and marketing materials, which would inform the students of the opportunity to get the meals. The selection of the eight schools was based on where the organization saw the biggest opportunities to increase breakfast participation, and whether the principals were willing to let students bring the food into class.

This is another hallmark of the Breakfast Boost program: it’s a “grab and go” option that students can take into the classroom.

Grab-and-go breakfasts at Booker T. Washington Middle and High.
Grab-and-go breakfasts at Booker T. Washington Middle and High.

The Commercial Appeal visited Booker T. Washington Middle and High, one of the eight participating schools, last week, and saw the meals for late students being offered firsthand. On a table in the cafeteria were breakfast bags that were labeled “HOT” or “COLD.” They were flanked by trays of milk and orange juice cartons, and a sheet said the “after the bell” breakfast was served from 8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.

Booker T. Washington’s school day starts at 8:15 a.m.

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No Kid Hungry Tennessee maintains that breakfast can be beneficial for students, saying that kids who eat breakfast are likely to be more focused, score higher on tests, and have better attendance records.

There are also MSCS students who will have less access to breakfast if it’s not provided at school, due to a lack of resources. In the spring, when the district released TCAP results, it noted that nearly three in five of its students are considered economically disadvantaged by federal guidelines, which is unsurprising, given the high child poverty rate in Memphis.

In 2022, the Bluff City’s child poverty rate was 32.7%, significantly higher than the 12.4% poverty rate nationwide.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis-Shelby County Schools expanding student breakfast program