Project Bread

?? Our annual staff retreat to kick off the fiscal new year was a success! This retreat was all about collaboratively defining our core values and having fun while doing so. We welcomed board member and Boston-based chef Irene Shiang Li, co-founder of Mei Mei Dumplings, to give the keynote — she touched on the core values she brings to the workplace and what compelled her to get involved with us. “Food for me, even before I became a chef and started teaching myself how to cook, was one of the ways I understood myself and my relationships with other people. When I had an opportunity to get involved with Project Bread, I was like, I’ve been training my whole life for this.” It was incredible to see how much we’ve grown as an organization. We’re invigorated to continue the fight to solve hunger.

Bright futures fueled by school meals ???? Meet Noah, a senior at Woburn High School who has big dreams and is wasting no time putting them into action. Proud of his Brazilian heritage, he understands that food plays an important role in identity. When Noah noticed a lack of culturally diverse ingredients at a food bank, he founded Inclusive Eats to fill the gap. He also knows that free school meals for all are critical for providing students with the nutrition they need to succeed. "Everyone now has access to school lunch, which not only nourishes people, but allows them to perform better in school." Like Noah, we strive to incorporate food from different cultures in our recipes. From dumplings to Baja fish tacos, school meals can be an exciting cultural experience. By donating, you’re helping kids like Noah stay nourished during the day with creative, culturally diverse meals. Give today: https://lnkd.in/enC-gvhW 1. Noah Sheldon, founder of Inclusive Eats, a youth-led nonprofit that sources cultural ingredients and fights food insecurity. 2. Gentille Gikundiro, a Lowell High School student, poses with a family recipe she shared: Umutsima na Isupu Y’inka, a spiced Rwandan beef stew with cornbread fufu. 3. School nutrition staff participating in Professional Development Day as part of our School Food Fellowship program try a nachos recipe.

We're so excited to announce that Catalina López-Ospina, our Vice President of Engagement, was selected by Amplify LatinX as one of the 2024 #ALX100! Every year, Amplify LatinX honors 100 Latino leaders from across Massachusetts: risk-takers, quiet disruptors, and outspoken advocates from all industry sectors who are impacting the future. The full list is available on the Boston Globe Media website and the 9/15 issue of the Globe Magazine. Thanks, Catalina for your leadership! Get the full list: https://lnkd.in/gw8qPwC4?

?? New on our blog: how students benefit from free, healthy school meals. Did you know that school nutrition professionals serve 857,077 meals daily to kids in Massachusetts and provide them with 40-70% of their weekly nutrition? Learn more about why school nutrition professionals are so important, what we do to support them, and how students benefit from eating school meals. https://lnkd.in/e-DhzVs5

Sarah Cluggish, our Chief Program Officer, talks to WCVB Channel 5 about our work to ensure kids across Massachusetts can have a nutritious start to their day with school breakfast. School breakfast has gotten a creative makeover. Gone are the days of cereal and milk — now, schools in Chelsea serve bento boxes with breakfast items like eggs, fresh fruit, and a muffin. At Triton Regional School District, kids can eat breakfast sandwiches, smoothies with fresh fruit, and yogurt parfaits. We partner with schools to boost participation in school breakfast, which, like school lunch, is free thanks to #SchoolMealsforAll. Check out this story! https://lnkd.in/e8XrsjcV

??? Kids in MA are back in school with free school meals! Parent Rebecca Wood sat down with NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money to talk about the impact of universal school meals and how she joined our Feed Kids Coalition to make free school meals permanent in MA. #SchoolMealsforAll

Endless possibility. For many children, school is a place for nourishment, growth, and discovery. But kids experiencing food insecurity at home have a different story — they go to school late, irritable, and unfocused. The impact of food insecurity on a child's health is critical and well-documented: lower achievement in school, lower-paying jobs in the future, long-term physical and mental health implications, and a perpetual struggle with hunger. Like us, you believe a child embodies endless possibility and that growing up food insecure should not limit a child's future. If you feed kids, you can break the generational cycle of hunger. Whether you give $10 or $1,000 today, you're investing in a child’s future. Give today: https://lnkd.in/enC-gvhW

Just over a year ago, MA made School Meals for All permanent, ensuring students receive the nutrition they need for years to come. Project Bread supporters and advocates were vital in securing permanent free school meals, resulting in 100,000 more kids eating school lunch daily. With the school year upon us, this NBC segment highlights the impact of School Meals for All from 2022 to 2023, the first year of state-supported universal free school meals. Schools served 9 million more breakfasts and 12.2 million more lunches, with 43,400 more students eating breakfast and 61,500 more students eating lunch daily. Free school meals take the stress off food budgets, grocery shopping, and meal prep for every family. We worked hard to make this happen, advocating for policies that change lives for the better at scale. Thanks for your continued support!

When school meals are fresh, flavorful, and free, more kids eat, fueling their day. Powered by your support, our team of Chef Educators works directly with school nutrition professionals to develop creative recipes and enhance culinary skills. These hard-working folks serve 857,000 meals a day to Massachusetts children, an incredible feat. Our Chef Educator Ryan Eckles said it best while co-leading a training with Chef Educator Sherry Hughes at Henry J. Robinson Middle School in Lowell last Friday. “There is not a single other job that we have in our society, other than maybe doctors or nurses, that have your type of impact on future generations. Anytime school’s in session, you are responsible for somewhere between 40 and 70 percent of the nutrition that the students get in a week. That means that the kids can't survive without coming here and eating the food.” Learn more about our work feeding kids and how you can get involved in our mission to end child hunger: https://lnkd.in/epcCB3Au

Feeding kids transforms lives. One year ago, Massachusetts made School Meals for All permanent, ensuring students receive the nutrition they need for years to come! Thanks to your support and advocacy, 100,000 more kids are eating school lunch daily, nourished and ready to learn. This means: ? More kids eating school meals ? Higher quality school meals ? Reduced future health costs ? Increased food security ? Elimination of stigma and school meal debt While our work isn’t done, our shared victory in making #SchoolMealsforAll permanent will secure food for future generations. Join us at projectbread.org.