Missoula’s Target Range, Others Receive $36,000 in School Breakfast Grants

Today, December 17, Montana Governor Steve Bullock and the First Lady Lisa Bullock announced that $36,000 in privately funded grants have been awarded to 9 schools to implement school breakfast programs. According to Montana No Kid Hungry Director Lisa Lee, the schools will use the money in a variety of ways.

"Some of them are new school breakfast programs, but most of them are actually switching to an alternative breakfast model. Most of them are changing into either a breakfast in the classroom or a grab-and-go model. These typically increase breakfast participation up to 70 % or more, whereas in a traditional program you typically see just 30 percent of kids participating."

Missoula’s Target Range Middle School plans on changing up its school breakfast program thanks to a $5,000 donation from Neptune Aviation.

"[Target Range School] is going to revamp their breakfast model to make it more appealing. They have a grab-and-go cart in the middle school wing and they are going to rename it "recharge time" and they hope to draw in more kids by changing to the new model."

Donations for the grant also came in from actor Jeff Bridges and groups like Share Our Strength, Round It Up Montana, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the First Interstate Bank Foundation.

Below is the complete list of all nine schools receiving funding:

-Saddle Peak Elementary School, Belgrade $4988.00
-Billings Senior High School, Billings $3296.00
-Mountain View Elementary School, Great Falls $3791.00
-Roosevelt Elementary School, Great Falls $3720.00
-Smith Elementary School, Helena $3069.90
-Kessler Elementary School, Helena $3204.90
-Independent School, Billings $4547.00
-Kalispell Middle School, Kalispell $3928.00
-Target Range School, Missoula $5000.00