St. Louis Dairy Council Awards Crawford County R-1 Dollars for Dairy

We are proud to share that Fresh Ideas at Bourbon High School, located in the Crawford County R-1 school district, has been awarded the Dollars for Dairy grant! Each year, the St. Louis Dairy Council selects only 18 schools to receive up to $2,000 in funding to promote three servings of nutrient-rich dairy daily. Bourbon High School’s goal upon receiving this grant is to increase breakfast opportunities for high-school-aged students. Director of Dining Services, Shannon Fife, shared that her main goal has always been “Feeding our kids, supporting our kids, and meeting their needs.” The Dollars for Dairy grant helps serve that mission. By recognizing a unique problem at the high school level, Fife is piloting change for her students. Fife noticed that high school students were skipping breakfast consistently. “The last thing on their mind is breakfast.” Said Fife. While busy schedules can get in a high schooler’s way in the morning, breakfast helps students achieve higher test scores and remain focused. To remedy this skipped meal, Crawford County R-1 piloted an innovative new option for their high school students – grab and go breakfast/second chance breakfast. Throughout their school day, students now have the opportunity to access breakfast options at the end of the first hour and the beginning of the second hour. Previously, breakfast was only offered before school began. The second opportunity for a meal has been a game-changer. The pilot program showed a 50% increase in breakfast participation! Thankfully, Dollars for Dairy will help continue this success. This grant not only increases revenue, but it also provides $500 to be used for student engagement, which includes weekly raffles and gift cards, which incentivizes the program. Fife shared that she feels “Confident we will be successful with this particular program.” And that “Most importantly, we’ll be ensuring kids are eating breakfast.” Fife’s efforts were commended by Erin McGraw, Nutrition Educator with the St. Louis District Dairy Council. “As seen when the program was piloted in the school the previous year, breakfast participation significantly increased. We know that when students eat breakfast, they have better health, behavior, concentration, and test scores. By offering an additional breakfast time, schools can use this opportunity to reach more students with a nutritious breakfast and help them experience these benefits.”