In Illinois, nearly 450,000 students eligible for free or reduced-price breakfasts do not receive them, leaving many at-risk students hungry and $103 million in federal funding on the breakfast table. In 2016, Rise & Shine Illinois (RSI), a partnership of several antihunger organizations, on behalf of the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD), retained Public Communications Inc. to help expand the program.
Raising Awareness for Rise & Shine Illinois
GREATER CHICAGO FOOD DEPOSITORY
SHOWCASE
USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO PROVIDE SCHOOL BREAKFAST FOR ILLINOIS STUDENTS
| OBJECTIVES |
|---|
| Expand school breakfast legislation to be passed by the Illinois Senate and signed into law. |
| Mobilize at least 10,000 people to visit Rise & Shine Illinois’ website through a digital campaign. |
| Secure a commitment from at least three new schools interested in beginning the process of implementing a breakfast program. |
| Develop and share a custom hashtag, Facebook and Twitter copy, content and graphics. |
| RESULTS |
|---|
| Facebook and Twitter campaign drove more than: |
| 20,000 website visits within one week of outreach |
| 82,000 website impressions |
| 1,000+ combined Facebook and Twitter engagements |
| 127 more Facebook likes |
| Generated five breakfast program submission forms from school officials, potentially leading to hundreds of students receiving nutritious breakfasts. |
| Generated a large volume of conversation among educators through the School Breakfast Week Twitter chat. |
| As a result of our efforts, the Illinois Senate unanimously passed SB2393 and the governor signed it into law. The bill expands the school breakfast program for 175,000 students. |
RISE & SHINE CAMPAIGN
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