Nestlé partners with No Kid Hungry Campaign to support US school breakfast programs

18 Dec 2017 --- Nestlé USA has partnered with Share Our Strength to support the organization’s school breakfast initiatives as part of its No Kid Hungry campaign in Arlington County. The donation of US$250,000 deepens Nestlé’s commitment to help children live healthier lives, the company reports. 

On Friday, Nestlé CFO and Chief Transformation Officer Steve Presley visited a local Arlington elementary school, accompanied by First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe, who has long shared the same commitment. The visit to Oakridge Elementary School aimed to raise awareness of the benefits of school breakfast programs. One in seven children in Virginia struggle with hunger, and research demonstrates the importance of providing breakfast to children and youth. 

Nestlé’s partnership with Share Our Strength will help add an additional 10,000 children to the school breakfast program in Virginia, ensuring that they have access to a nutritious breakfast which will support important nutrition habits. According to the company, the partnership also demonstrates its commitment to the Arlington community, where it will operate its new US headquarters beginning in early 2018. 

“Nestlé’s commitment to a healthier future starts with ensuring that kids in the communities where we live and work have access to nutritious foods and can build the healthy habits that will serve them throughout their lives,” says Steve Presley, Nestlé USA’s Chief Financial Officer. “We are eager to become an active community member here in Arlington, which is why we’re so excited to begin supporting Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign even before we’ve officially moved in.”

More than 1,000 schools in Virginia currently have school breakfast programs. 

“Thanks to our strong public-private partnerships and commitment to evidence-based programs to expand the role of schools as nutrition hubs, Virginia has become a model for the nation in ending childhood hunger,” says First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe. “Now more than ever, we are proving the connection between school meals and student success, and providing children with the fuel they need to thrive in and out of the classroom.”

“Ensuring that all children get to start the day with a nutritious breakfast today means that we’re building a more economically competitive workforce for tomorrow,” says Tom Nelson, President and CEO at Share Our Strength. “When kids get the food they need to thrive, they grow up smarter, healthier and stronger–and that means a smarter, healthier, stronger Virginia.”

Nestlé’s effort with Share Our Strength includes support for low-income communities in Cleveland, Ohio and Oakland, California, to ensure that as many kids as possible in those areas have access to a healthy start and the tools for healthy nutrition habits.

Nestlé’s support of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign is part of the company’s broader initiative to foster healthy lifestyles for kids and secure a healthy future for the communities in which Nestlé employees live and work.