Ravens player visits Belmont Elementary to emphasize importance of breakfast

By Breana Ross

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    BALTIMORE (WBAL) — One Baltimore Ravens player is reminding students the importance of starting the day with a good meal.

Ravens’ offensive-tackle Morgan Moses visited Belmont Elementary School on Tuesday for National School Breakfast Week.

“When it’s fourth quarter, it’s one minute (left), and Lamar Jackson is back there, and he’s wondering if I’m going to block this (defensive) end, I look back and I say, ‘Look, man, I had my breakfast this morning. I had my lunch this morning. I’m good to go,” Moses said.

Moses said breakfast is something he prioritizes now, and it was something he looked forward to as a kid who relied on free school breakfast.

“Being able to know that you were going to have a meal at school, no matter what it is or what’s going to happen, you know you’re going to have a meal at school, that’s going to set your day straight. I think that’s a vital for kids,” he said.

Chanette Tyson manages operations for food and nutrition for Baltimore City Public Schools. She explained what this week is all about.

“National School Breakfast Week is an opportunity for schools to showcase their breakfast programs, and to just let everyone know that food is available for students,” Tyson said.

Belmont Elementary is one of 406 schools across the nation to win an America’s Healthiest School award this year. They were the only school in Baltimore City to receive the honor.

Students like 5th grader Audrey Ndi don’t take breakfast for granted.

“Once I eat it, it gives me energy to go to class, and it helps me raise my hand and participate and be a little bit smarter,” she said.

Principal Tiffany Etheridge sees that impact every day.

“Research shows that students who eat breakfast each day have a better success rate at school and (it) improves concentration (and) mental clarity,” Etheridge said.

According to Feeding America, one in eight children in Maryland face hunger and rely on the meals they get at school.

“For some of our families, those are the meals that they’ll get for the day, so we want to make sure that all of our students have access to meals every day,” Etheridge said.

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