No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit organization working to address hunger and poverty. According to Feeding America, 9 percent of Virginia Children under 18 live in households with limited access to nutritious food at some point during the year.
AHPS will use its $13,400 grant to enhance breakfast offerings at Alleghany High School. In response to preliminary results from a survey of AHS students, plans call for a breakfast kiosk to be placed in the school’s entrance lobby. Breakfast will also be offered between the first and second blocks of morning classes to accommodate students’ schedules. The menu will regularly include bagels, the most widely-requested breakfast food among students responding to the survey.
“We are thrilled to be receiving this grant,” said Debra Buckner, food service supervisor at AHPS. “We are constantly thinking about ways we can encourage students to take advantage of the meals we offer. We have a dedicated staff that wants to see our students thrive, and this grant at Alleghany High School will give us an opportunity to provide students from throughout the Alleghany Highlands with a delicious and nutritious breakfast.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says studies have shown that students who eat a nutritious breakfast have increased alertness and improved moods throughout the morning, making for a better experience in the classroom. Buckner said she expects her staff to begin implementing the expanded breakfast offerings at AHS sometime in January after students return from the holiday break.
“This grant will help reach more kids with the food they need to grow up healthy, educated and strong,” said Thompson Bertschy, program manager for No Kid Hungry Virginia. “We’re proud to support the work Alleghany Highlands Public Schools is doing to help kids excel.”
No Kids Hungry works closely with its partnering organizations and school divisions to help ensure children have access to federal nutrition programs in their communities.
“We are just so proud of the entire AHPS team for all of the initiative they are taking to support our community,” said Kim Halterman and Melinda Snead-Johnson, leaders of AHPS. “As we think about this grant in particular, we are so proud of our food service staff and the wonderful work they do to help our students enjoy their school days!”
The Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington. The school division serves approximately 2,700 students. It was created on July 1, 2022, when Alleghany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center merged.
School division news and events are regularly updated on Facebook at AHPublicSchools and on Instagram at ahpublicschools. Information is also available at www.ahps.k12.va.us.
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