Event and Issue Media Relations Strategy for Hunger-Free Minnesota

The Situation

As the leader of a campaign to close the missing meal gap, Hunger-Free Minnesota needed to engage funders and partners around a unique program to increase meals for low-income children in schools.

The Communications Challenge

With a goal to increase the reach of their School Breakfast Initiative, Hunger-Free Minnesota needed to keep its partners and funders engaged, while at the same time reaching many independent decision makers at local schools across the state.

The Strategy

We devised an event and issue-related media strategy that provided the public and schools with a clear picture of how to increase participation by low-income students in school breakfast. More important, the strategy focused on data from research studies showing why breakfast should be a public priority. The campaign included media-worthy events with public officials in attendance, videos, and a variety of materials and resources for teachers, principals and nutrition directors.

The Results

We worked to make sure everyone’s story was told, from an elementary school head cook to the Lt. Governor of the state of Minnesota and each corporate and nonprofit funder or partner. More than 120 schools are now enrolled in the School Breakfast Challenge, and Hunger-Free Minnesota raised over $2 million for the initiative. Media coverage included statewide newspaper and television stories, in-depth reporting by Minnesota Public Radio and a feature in the national School Nutrition magazine.

Minnesota and the School Breakfast Initiative are now viewed as models for other states working to close the meal gap.