Cookin’ Up Fun at Rex Bell

Fresh off of celebrating our party of the year, Chefs for Kids’ Dinner & Auction, our chefs were back in the cafeteria this week serving up smiles for the students and staff at Rex Bell Elementary School. 

On Thursday, April 20 our friends at Mandalay Bay and Luxor cooked up a plate of yum for everyone to enjoy including: Cheesy Egg Muffin, Smoked Bacon, Triangle Hash Browns, Belgium Waffles with a side of sugar free syrup, seasonal fruit and berry cup served with a side of Orange Slices. As an extra bonus, kids were able to choose between a house-made rice krispie treat or brownie for dessert. Now our focus is on providing nutrition education, and encouraging kids to make better eating choices overall, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a special treat from time to time. Special treats like brownies are called “sometimes foods” in our class, and meant to be eaten in moderation. 

As we walked around the cafeteria, we were reminded of why we do this program. Despite the creative menu put out by Executive Chef Justin Fredrickson and the teams at Mandalay Bay and Luxor, some of the items the kids were most curious about were the simple ones. One boy had never seen or tasted a hash brown before. Another went through the fruit cup asking us what each fruit was. Stories like these are unfortunately all too common at these events, but it’s a constant reminder to us to be grateful for the opportunities we have had in life, and that we must continue our important work in the community.

One of the most common questions we get asked is if we can bring our program to a specific school. We thought we’d take this opportunity to share a little insight into our school selection process. Working with our partners at the University of Nevada, Reno Extension and the Clark County School District, we get a list of schools in which nearly 100% of the student population qualifies for free or reduced price meals. From this list, we try to focus on providing our program in schools that are in food deserts and/or low income. 

Each school that we support doesn’t just get the free breakfast event. They also receive nine months of monthly nutrition education classes, plus our Holiday Helpings initiative. So there is a lot of commitment on the school’s side as well for the entire school year. Along with that, we have to have the funding and support to take on additional schools. We know we can do it – we just need your help! Every donation helps not only support our students now, but pushes us closer to being able to expand to more schools. Consider making a donation today!