Bain Students, Former Patriot Celebrate New "Grab n Go" Breakfast Program

Students at Hugh B. Bain Middle School were bringing the noise here, and it was all for a good cause as they celebrated National School Breakfast Week, March 6, 2015.

The seventh and eighth graders at Bain spent their Friday afternoon cheering outside the classroom when they learned about the benefits of breakfast from city leaders, the New England Dairy & Food Council, football celebrity Jermaine Wiggins, a former New England Patriots player, and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“It may be cliché, but breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day,” said Kurt Messner, acting regional administrator for the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. “Studies have shown that eating breakfast will help you (the students) perform better physically and academically. That’s why the school breakfast program is so important.”

A principal goal of the breakfast program is to ensure that all school children have access to a nutritious breakfast to promote learning readiness and healthy eating. The program provides children of all economic backgrounds a well-balanced, healthy meal consistent with the latest nutrition science and Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

“We at the USDA understand that not every kid may be able to eat breakfast at home,” Messner said. “Whether they come from a family with a tight budget, are too busy, or simply have a poor appetite in the morning, not all children get the energy and nutrients they need to get a healthy start to the morning.”

According to school officials, only 110 out of the 400 students at the Bain Middle School eat school breakfast. It is a goal of the school to increase that number to 360 students.

Bain Middle School received funding from the New England Dairy & Food Council to start its new ‘Grab n Go’ breakfast program and a community physical activity program.

Schools around the country highlighted school breakfast this year from March 2-6, 2015.