CHICAGO - Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti joined Chicago Bulls’ Jimmy Butler, Kellogg’s and No Kid Hungry for the “Give a Child a Breakfast” event in downtown Chicago to raise awareness about childhood hunger.

“One in five kids in Illinois is hungry. This is an important issue to me because I know what it is like to grow up with food insecurity,” said Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti. “My mother had me when she was only 15, and my parents often had to choose between paying the rent and putting food on the table.”

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Lieutenant Governor Sanguinetti addressed a group of students from Marshall High School and talked about her own experiences. The students were invited to the “Give a Child a Breakfast” event by Kellogg’s, where they had breakfast, had the opportunity to meet the lieutenant governor and play basketball with Butler.

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“Child hunger is not an issue isolated to large cities - it is prevalent in all 102 counties in Illinois,” Lieutenant Governor Sanguinetti said. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We want our kids to have access to a healthy breakfast so they can stay alert in the classroom and excel in school.”

Last year, Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law Breakfast After the Belllegislation that required schools where 70 percent or more students qualify for thefree and reduced lunch program serve breakfast after the first bell starts the school day. This federally funded initiative aims to serve an additional 175,000 Illinois children breakfast every day. 

Kellogg’s partnered with Butler for the third year in a row and U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles to raise awareness about the importance of having a nutritious breakfast. 

“Give a Child a Breakfast” also marks the kick off of National School Breakfast Week, which will be March 6-10.

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