The Super School Meals initiative, which provides nutrition equipment grants to school districts in high-need communities, was recently launched by Dairy MAX, GENYOUth and other purpose-minded organizations at Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans. On October 29, students at Ben Franklin joined NFL player Cam Jordan, NOLA Public Schools superintendent Dr. Avis Williams, school officials and community leaders to celebrate Super School Meals and the critical strides it is making to tackle food insecurity among youth in Louisiana.
With 101 mobile meal carts placed across 67 campuses in nine different parishes, the Super School Meals initiative will benefit more than 32,000 students throughout Louisiana each year. These resources offer schools flexibility and variety in how breakfast, lunch, and after-school meals are served to students, ultimately enhancing accessibility and participation.
“I am proud to support Super School Meals in Louisiana. As a professional football player, I see first-hand the critical role school nutrition plays in the lives of students. We must all do our part to ensure students have access to school meal and physical activity programs so children can be their best selves,” said Jordan, New Orleans Saints defensive end.
Child hunger in Louisiana is a critical issue, with rates above the national average. One in four children lives in food insecurity*, compared to one in five nationally. These programs have seen growing participation, with 91.9% of Louisiana students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, a number that has increased by 32.6% over the past decade**, demonstrating the vital role school meals play in addressing food insecurity.
“We were excited to host the Super School Meals program kickoff in our school district. When the community comes together on behalf of our children, we remove barriers and ensure they get the nutrition they need so they can remain healthy and focused to succeed academically and beyond,” said Dr. Williams, NOLA Public Schools superintendent.
A product of the successful collaboration between the National Dairy Council and the NFL, GENYOUth works to make a lasting difference in children’s lives by generating funds to support programs like Super School Meals in the Big Game’s host market and state. Since Super School Meals kicked off in 2018 over 400 meal equipment packages have been awarded in collaboration with the Big Game host committees, increasing equitable meal access for over 500,000 students to over 150 million school meals.
“Super School Meals reflects the long-standing commitment of dairy farmers to the health and well-being of their communities. We are proud to collaborate with GENYOUth and other purpose-driven organizations to ensure all students have access to nutritious dairy foods as part of their school meals,” said Marty McKinzie, COO, Dairy MAX.
Super School Meals will roll out in the coming months, leading up to the Big Game and its premier purpose-driven culinary event, Taste of the NFL, on Saturday, February 8, 2025. Proceeds raised from Taste of the NFL will benefit schools in Louisiana and throughout the nation.
The partnership between Dairy MAX and GENYOUth continues to promote healthy, active youth while leveraging checkoff dollars to expand impactful initiatives. For more information about Dairy MAX and how we can support your school district, visit DairyMAX.org.
* Feeding America
**FRAC Resource Library
