A Hero’s Breakfast

Type of Play: Healthy Eating

Subcategory: Bring on Breakfast

Student Interest Areas: Community Service, Culinary

Grade Level: Elementary & Secondary

Level of Involvement: Going Further

Promote healthy breakfast choices by hosting a monthly “hero’s breakfast” for invited community heroes or celebrities, such as firefighters, policemen, good Samaritans, sports figures or other personalities. Encourage more students in your school to enjoy breakfast regularly and get a good start in the morning!

Everyone Can:

Help select the best day to hold a monthly breakfast event
Identify and invite local heroes and celebrities
Create invitations
Provide input on the breakfast menu working with school nutrition professionals
Solicit community donations
Prepare and distribute handouts
Promote the event among students and staff

Keep It Going:

Highlight your “hero’s” healthy breakfast choices on your school's menu!
Host your “hero’s” healthy breakfast on a monthly basis!

Work with students, teachers, school nutritional professionals and the principal to identify the best day of the month to host a community breakfast. For example, space might be available on the second Monday of each month.
Identify local heroes and celebrities in your community. Create an invitation that will be sent to breakfast invitees. Keep in mind that many invitees will need plenty of advance notice in order to attend, so you’ll want to line up your guests for several months in advance.
In your invitation, ask invitees to share with the community their favorite healthy breakfast choices. In advance, provide heroes with brief information about the program’s goals, what is being served at the breakfast and why these foods are healthy choices.
Promote the breakfast event to students and school staff. The goal of this program is to encourage more students to enjoy a well-balanced, nutrient-rich breakfast, so advertise the event with posters, flyers and announcements.
Working with your school nutrition professionals, prepare a breakfast menu that includes a variety of delicious and nutritious choices, including low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein foods. Local grocery stores or school food vendors might be willing to provide food samples and ideas.
Check out the Tools and Resources below for ideas on getting help from the community and local businesses and information sheets you can share.

This Play may help you meet the goals of the USDA's HealthierUS School Challenge!

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"I really enjoyed this Play! It exposed our students to the board members, city officials and also other staff in our community. The students were able to hear what the program included and see those adults involved to help make this a success."

"we recently had a heroes breakfast at our elem. school. our local volunteer fire dept. came and ate breakfast with the kids, and chatted with them about the benefits of exercise and eaing healthy. we had a pretty good turnout for the event. i think the kids really enjoyed it and hope to do it again soon."

"While extrinsic motivation (appearances by celebrities and heroes) may have some effectiveness in the sort term; intrinsic motivation developed through knowledge and skill in practice seems to be a much more affective,as well as sustainable platform of performance when it comes to making daily nutritional choices which support and improve health."

"We are inviting Veterans for a breakfast in honor of Veterans Day."

"I would like to use a portion of our Funds to pay an NFL football player to come to our school. The student body would be elated to meet a professional football player. "