State Department of Education Awards $7.55 Million to Maryland School’s Free Breakfast Program

The program provides free, in-classroom breakfasts.

Frederick, MD – 522 Maryland schools have been selected to receive state funds towards an alternative breakfast delivery program for students.

Maryland Meals for Achievement added 32 new schools and are projected to benefit over 275,000 Maryland students with free breakfasts for the 2019-2020 school year.

Educational Coordinator Bruce Schenkel said the program strives to end child hunger and promote student success.

“It’s really about increasing to school breakfast.,” Schenkel said. “There’s research that’s pretty strong that show the connection between access to school breakfast, having a healthy meal in the morning and academic achievement.”

The funds used for MMFA supplement the federal reimbursement the schools receive from School Breakfast Program provided by U.S. Department of Agriculture.

14 of the 522 schools are in Frederick County with one of them recently being added for the 2019-2020 school year.

A full list of participating schools can be found at http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Documents/Nutrition/MMFAData/MMFASY1920ParticipatingSchoolsData82619.pdf

 

By Timothy Young