The national anti-hunger campaign No Kid Hungry recently announced their 2019 Pennsylvania School Breakfast Heroes and North Penn High School (NPHS) School Nutrition Services Area Supervisor Carolann Begley was among the list.
This year's inductees include educators, administrators and food service staff from school districts across the commonwealth who were nominated by members of their local community for going above and beyond to make school breakfast possible for all students.
Among this year's School Breakfast Heroes is Carolann Begley, who was nominated by NPHS Principal Mr. Pete Nicholson for her assistance in implementing a breakfast cart at the high school for the 2018-2019 school year.
"While we have had a breakfast program before school for a great number 
of years, the cart has increased the number of both students and staff that have access to a nutritious breakfast each day," said Nicholson. According to Nicholson, in the past, breakfast has typically been served in the cafeteria at NPHS. However, there are large numbers of students that enter the building through the front entrance each day and do not have time to stop by the cafeteria.
"While it would have been far easier to keep to the status quo, I am so excited that Carol jumped on board and supported the breakfast cart each morning," Nicholson explained. "Simply knowing that more of our students and staff can get off to a good start with a healthy breakfast makes me proud of her enthusiasm and support for this new program!"
Since the inception of the breakfast cart, breakfast sales at the high school have increased by almost 200 breakfasts per day. Having a full slate of breakfast food at the main entrance each day has greatly increased the accessibility to breakfast for many NPHS students as each day students line up to take advantage of this service using, including free or reduced pricing for those that qualify.
School breakfast is an energy source for kids across the Pennsylvania. Research shows that hunger has long-term ramifications on children, including lower test scores, weaker attendance rates, and a higher risk of hospitalizations and chronic diseases. Unfortunately, too many Pennsylvania students are missing out on school breakfast because they are unaware of the program or don't arrive to school in time to participate. We are thankful to our school breakfast heroes who work every day within our community to make sure the school breakfast program reaches all the students who might benefit.
Congratulations Carolann Begley on this impressive honor.