PHOENIX — Inside Harris Elementary School, 76% of students depend on free meals to help to fill their bellies and kick-start their learning each day.
It makes the school the ideal place to launch a new mission.
On Wednesday, the Super Bowl Host Committee, alongside former Arizona Cardinal Frank Sanders, announced the expansion of the Mission 57: End Student Hunger Initiative with the donation of 11 grab-and-go meal cart systems to Gilbert Public Schools.
“School meals are a lifeline for many children, providing a substantial amount of their nutrition on most days,” said Sanders. “You can see it that it works that by eating and taking care of yourself, and maintaining discipline while you're in school, having the ability to focus, it makes a difference.”
Sanders says he too remembers what it was like to go without food as a child.
Parents we spoke with expressed concern as food and living expenses continue to increase. They called the meal program a much-needed hand-up.
“A lot of people struggle with not just food but other things as you know gas, rents going up, inflation,” said Sarah Leatherberry, a mother of two.
“I’ve been one of those parents that’s struggled before. I have three children, I’m a single mom, and that means a lot to me because I’ve actually needed and gotten the assistance before,” said Katie Cole, a single mother of three.
The goal of Mission 57 is to end student hunger and provide 57 of these grab-and-go systems to districts across the Valley by Super Bowl 57 next year.
They’ve now put in place 22, including the 11 donated Wednesday. The positive impacts of this program are also found in the data, according to Gilbert Public Schools Nutrition Director Natalie Tenney.
“We had 25% more behavior referrals before we started doing this because if you’re hangry during the day, you’re already impatient, frustrated cause your stomach's hungry, you're going to act out more, have more behavior problems,” said Tenney. “We also have 34% less trips to the nurse for stomach aches.”
All of it adds up to a better chance that these children achieve their dreams.