HENDERSON, Nev. – The Las Vegas Raiders teamed up with US Foods and the Dairy Council® of Nevada this week to celebrate National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) with students at Thiriot Elementary School in Las Vegas. Raider Rusher, mascots Daisy the Cow and Sporky from the Dairy Council® of Nevada joined students for breakfast to highlight the importance of school morning meals and the critical role school nutrition professionals play in helping children succeed in and out of the classroom.
The event included students blending up their own breakfast creations with US Foods providing fresh and frozen smoothie ingredients that included blueberries, strawberries, bananas, pineapples, spinach, milk and yogurt while the Dairy Council® of Nevada offered Smoothie samples and crazy straws.
Earlier this week, Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson recorded a Public Service Announcement inside Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on behalf of NSBW, which runs from March 7-11. "I always start my day with a healthy breakfast," Carlson said while holding a full school breakfast tray swigging a carton of milk. "For kids, school breakfast at the start of the day is a great way to ensure that they are ready to learn."
The mission of NSBW is to raise awareness about healthy breakfasts served at school and increase student participation. The NSBW campaign theme, "Take Off with School Breakfast," reminds the entire school community that school breakfast provides a healthy and energizing start to the day for students. Studies show that students who eat school breakfast are more likely to:
- Reach higher levels of achievement in reading and math
- Score higher on standardized tests
- Have better concentration and memory
- Be more alert
- Maintain a healthy weight
This event marks the Raiders' latest support and focus on the importance of school meals. On January 22, 2020, the day the Silver & Black officially became the Las Vegas Raiders, the organization also announced a $500,000 pledge toward eliminating meal debt which was allocated through the Nevada Community Foundation (NCF). The day prior to that historic event, Raiders tight end Darren Waller made a surprise visit to Jack Dailey Elementary School, where they joined students in the meal room and reinforced the importance of a nutritious meal. Additionally, Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow previously spoke to students about the importance of eating a healthy breakfast, with dairy included, to start their day and to be physically active at least 60 minutes every day.
