Andover, Columbia, Hebron, Marlborough (ACHM) Hunger Action Team Tackles School Breakfast

Bea and ACHM Hunger Action Team

Beginning in 2015, CT became 47th State in the nation for the percentage of schools participating in School Breakfast. This comes after years of CT being in last place. Foodshare President and CEO, James Arena-DeRosa, has made increasing school breakfast participation a priority since his arrival at Foodshare on August 31, 2015, with Foodshare's Hunger Action Teams (HATs) working to improve participation in the program. When the Andover, Columbia, Hebron, Marlborough (ACHM) Hunger Action Team held their inaugural meeting in October of 2014 only one town--Andover--had a School Breakfast Program.


With the help of HAT members Dawn Crayco--formerly of End Hunger CT!, former State Representative Gayle Mulligan, and Dave Wagner from the Marlborough Food Bank, the Hunger Action Team was able to help initiate a new school breakfast program at the Marlborough Elementary School in October 2015.

Patti Buell, Director of Educational Services for Hebron Public Schools, and a new ACHM HAT member, along with members of the Hebron Board of Education including Stephanie Levin, were able to start a new Grab and Go school breakfast program in Hebron Elementary School in September 2016.

Jim Crawford from End Hunger CT! worked over the summer of 2016 with local Columbia resources, including the Superintendent of Schools--Laurence Fearon, Alyssa Gwinnell--the Principal of Horace W. Porter School, Mary Conway--Food Services Director for the Columbia School District, and Board of Education Member David Crim to start a pilot School Breakfast Program in September.

HATs off to the members of the Andover, Columbia, Hebron and Marlborough Hunger Action Team for their tireless efforts to bring the school breakfast program to all four towns. During Hunger Action Month, the ACHM HAT members participated in Foodshare's Plate Activity at the September 14th meeting. HAT members wrote on orange plates, "On an Empty Stomach, I Can't ______________" in support of the School Breakfast program.

For additional information about Foodshare's Hunger Action Teams, please visit our website at www.foodshare.org or contact one of our Community Network Builders, Beatrice Maslowski or Jim Palma at 860-286-9999.