SUDIA Schools Awarded Grab and Go Grants

The National Dairy Council and the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association (SUDIA) have partnered with Leprino Foods to extend Fuel Up to Play 60 Grab and Go program grants to 19 schools in the SUDIA region, demonstrating a continued commitment to child health and wellness.


The six elementary schools in Kentucky receiving the awards were Tates Creek, Meadowthorpe, Clays Mill, Winburn, Julius Marks and Lincoln. The five elementary schools in North Carolina receiving the awards were Douglass, Huntsville, Monroeton, Stoneville and Williamsburg. The four high schools in Tennessee receiving the awards were Bearden, Central, Fulton and West. The four schools in Virginia receiving the awards were Hickory High, Great Bridge Middle, Deep Creek Elementary and Moss Nuckols Elementary.


By specifically targeting Grab and Go breakfast, lunch and other meal occasions, this new partnership and grant program will help schools improve or add sustainable, alternative service options. Schools looking to implement or expand Grab and Go programs will be awarded up to $1,500 in funding through the grant program. The Fuel Up to Play 60 Grab and Go pilot generated a 10 percent point increase in average daily participation in test schools. This success paved the way for this expansion to more schools.


“We are honored to work with Leprino Foods to help bring new innovative ways to serve nutritious breakfast and lunch options in schools and to provide students with the options make healthy choices,” said Jean H. Ragalie, RD, president of National Dairy Council, the organization behind Fuel Up to Play 60. “In this time of economic challenges and time constraints, it is more important than ever to make it easy to eat healthy and stay active within any type of budget in any school district.”


The Grab and Go program is open to schools in the United States that participate in the National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast Programs and are enrolled in the National Dairy Council’s Fuel Up to Play 60 program for the 2012-13 school year. Fuel Up to Play 60 is a partnership between the National Dairy Council and the National Football League, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to empower youth to take action to improve nutrition and physical activity at their school and for their own health.