Pittsburgh Public Schools Host Taste Test for National School Breakfast Week with Alliance for a Healthier Generation, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Del Monte Foods

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.), March 4, 2024 – Tomorrow, Pittsburgh Public Schools and Alliance for a Healthier Generation, in collaboration with Del Monte Foods and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, will celebrate National School Breakfast Week with a recipe tasting event at an elementary school in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Students participating in the school breakfast program at Minadeo PreK-5 will have the opportunity to sample a roasted fruit recipe prepared by the school food service with product donated by Del Monte Foods. Healthier Generation staff, along with volunteers from Del Monte Foods and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, will be on hand to deliver a fun nutrition lesson.

Nationally, the School Breakfast Program provides critical support for millions of families grappling with high food costs and busy morning schedules. The Food Research & Action Center reports that consistent access to school meals is linked to improvements in attendance rates and student behavior, increased willingness to participate in class, and reduced hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression among students. National School Breakfast Week, held in the first week of March, highlights the importance of this meal in supporting whole child health. 
 
“The School Breakfast Program supports students’ physical, mental, and social-emotional health,” says Kathy Higgins, CEO of Alliance for a Healthier Generation. “In collaboration with Del Monte Foods, Healthier Generation is ensuring that children get the nutrition they need through the school day and beyond. A flourishing breakfast program like the one at Minadeo PreK-5 sets students up for success from the time the first bell rings.” 

Each year, Healthier Generation’s America’s Healthiest Schools program recognizes schools that implement best practices to advance whole child health in nine topic areas. For the 2023-2024 school year, Del Monte Foods is sponsoring the program’s Improving Nutrition & Food Access topic area, to promote and increase healthy eating and food access through education and programming such as the taste test at Minadeo PreK-5.  

“At Del Monte Foods, we recognize the importance of nourishing children’s bodies and minds,” says Drew McGowan, Director of Corporate Communications at Del Monte Foods. “Through our work with Healthier Generation, we’re ensuring that kids and families—both here in Pittsburgh and in communities across the country—have access to affordable, nutritious food options that will help them grow and thrive.” 

In 2022, Del Monte Foods announced a ten-year, $5 million commitment to support the whole health needs of youth and communities across the U.S. in collaboration with Healthier Generation. In its first year, this effort provided 1.25 million families with resources to foster connection through shared meals and reached more than two million children at nearly 4,700 K-12 schools. Seventy-five percent of these schools receive Title I funding, ensuring equitable impact.  

For more information about Healthier Generation’s work to support nutrition and food access in collaboration with Del Monte Foods, visit HealthierGeneration.org/DelMonteFoods.

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About Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Healthier Generation is a leading children's health organization that advances equitable whole child health. Driven by our passion to ensure that every mind, every body, and every young person is healthy and ready to succeed, our work has reached over 31 million young people and 54,000 schools across the country. To learn more and help make a difference, visit HealthierGeneration.org and join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.