On March 1, 2011, TheMotherhood hosted its first-ever Kellogg virtual breakfast via LIVE video feed!  It was an amazing event to be apart of, and I felt so honored and excited to be one of the co-hosts of the event.

The conversation over virtual breakfast centered around a very meaningful program called Kellogg’s Share Your Breakfast, aimed at fighting childhood hunger.

Joining everyone to talk about the incredible program via live video were Kellogg Senior Brand Manager Trinh Le and pediatric cardiologist Dr. Reginald Washington, chair of the board of Action for Healthy Kids.  A very esteemed crew! It was so impressive!

You can read the summary to get an overview of the conversation, watch a recording of the broadcast in the video player above, and/or read through participants’ comments and questions by clicking the “View Talk” button.  It was truly a special 30 minutes, and we invite you to be part of it!

About Share Your Breakfast

“We [at Kellogg] are partnering with Action for Healthy Kids – and all of you – because we want to share breakfast with kids who might otherwise miss out,” said Trinh, starting the discussion.

The Kellogg’s Share Your Breakfast program was designed with the goal of helping share one million breakfasts with kids who need them most.

To accomplish this goal, Kellogg has partnered with Action for Healthy Kids, a nonprofit organization that focuses on childhood obesity and undernourishment. One way Action for Healthy Kids supports their cause is by providing funding directly to school districts to expand or initiate school breakfast programs. To learn how you can further help kids and schools, visit ActionforHealthyKids.org.

Kellogg’s Share Your Breakfast began January 20 and runs through July 31, 2011, and there are multiple ways to get involved. Each time you share a photo or description of your breakfast, Kellogg will donate the monetary equivalent of school breakfasts to Action for Healthy Kids.  A single dollar donated is equivalent to five school breakfasts shared through the grants distributed by Action for Healthy Kids.

How You Can Share Your Breakfast

As co-host Ellen Seidman, Love That Max, said of the Share Your Breakfast program, “I just LOVE how simple this is to do.”

I literally have shared my breakfast and/or texted every single morning.  It’s super easy and makes such a HUGE difference!

OPTIONS…
Option 1: Online with photo
– Head over to http://www.shareyourbreakfast.com
– Find the upload station in the yellow band and click ‘browse’ to find your photo (You can also click the link to take a photo with your webcam!)
– Be sure that your photo is a JPG or PNG file, that it’s no more than 3MB and that no recognizable logos are included
– Fill out all the information, agree to terms and click ‘upload’!

Option 2: Online with no photo
– Head over to http://www.shareyourbreakfast.com
– Find the upload station in the yellow band and type in a description of your breakfast in the box provided
– Fill out all the information, agree to terms and click ‘upload’!

Option 3: Text message
– Text the word SHARE with a photo or description of your breakfast to 21534
– Be sure that your photo does not include any recognizable logos.
– Message and data rates may apply. See your carrier for details.

Option 4: Twitter on March 8th ONLY
– Share a photo or description on Twitter using the #ShareUrBreakfast hashtag
– Will only count on March 8, 2011 (National Breakfast Day!)

Trinh noted that your breakfast doesn’t have to be a Kellogg product! It can be anything, even just a cup of coffee.

Co-host Nirasha Jaganath, Mommy Niri, commented, “Kellogg’s rocks for not making it about THEIR product – shows that they truly believe in the cause.”

Why This is Necessary

According to national statistics, 50 million adults and 17 million children are living in food insecure households. Shockingly, that means 23 percent of children in this country are impacted by hunger. And of those kids, a staggering number simply are not getting the food and proper nutrition they need to grow and do well in school.

Breakfast programs in schools help ensure that all kids get a morning meal.  “We know breakfast gives your brain a head start in getting ready to learn,” said Dr. Washington.  He noted that kids become better students and citizens, and are less likely to have health problems, when they eat breakfast.

“My daughter is never ready to eat before school,” said co-host Jenny Rapson, Mommin’ It Up. “Just one of the reasons I am thankful she gets breakfast AT school.”

Action for Healthy Kids is working on innovative ways to get kids more access to free breakfast, whether it’s breakfast in the classroom, or universal free breakfast to remove the stigma of coming to school early for a free meal.

“One of the statistics that was really telling is that fewer than half of the kids who qualify for free or reduced price breakfasts are actually taking advantage of that,” said Trinh – one reason Kellogg is working with Action for Healthy Kids to help fund programs that would remove the stigma of accepting free breakfast.

Other Ways to Get Involved

“Parents cannot assume that schools and teachers … are doing their part,” Dr. Washington commented. “Parents have an obligation to make sure their kids are getting the best nutrition and exercise possible.”  He suggested joining the Action for Healthy Kids volunteer network to find ways to help make a difference at local schools.

You can find out which schools in your area participate in breakfast programs by visiting the Food and Research Action Centers website: http://www.frac.org or the Action for Healthy Kids website: http://www.actionforhealthykids.org.

Dr. Washington also suggested asking the principal of your child’s school if they are part of the Action for Healthy Kids network.

National Breakfast Day – TOMORROW!!!!!!

Kellogg will be celebrating breakfast on a nationwide scale on Tuesday, March 8, 2011. The Mayor’s office in New York City has declared this date as National Breakfast Day – a day dedicated to sharing breakfast with children in need.

You can take part on this day by sending in pictures of your breakfast and encouraging your social media communities to share their own breakfasts!