OFFICE OF MONTANA GOV. STEVE BULLOCK
HELENA – Gov. Steve Bullock on April 30 announced that Academy Award winning actor Jeff Bridges and Share Our Strength have each made additional contributions of $20,000 to the Montana No Kid Hungry campaign. The funds will be used to bolster Bullock’s efforts to expand school breakfast options in the state, as well as support other efforts to combat childhood hunger in Montana.
Share our Strength is a national nonprofit organization working to end childhood hunger in the U.S.
“Working with Jeff Bridges and Share Our Strength is helping us make a real difference in the lives of Montana students,” Bullock said. “Through these generous contributions, we’ll be able to build on our successful efforts to expand school breakfast options and combat childhood hunger across Montana.”
Last year, Bullock, Bridges and Billy Shore, the founder of Share Our Strength, toured Montana to highlight some of the innovative ways the state is working to address childhood hunger. They visited Darby School and the Billings YMCA.
“Montana is a very special place to me – I’ve been coming to the state for over 40 years,” said Bridges, who is a national spokesperson for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. “It’s hard to imagine that children in this beautiful place are not getting the meals they need, and if there’s anything I can do to end that, I am on board.”
Over the past year, Bullock and the Montana No Kid Hungry campaign have awarded more than $100,000 to schools to help start new breakfast programs or expand participation in existing programs. It’s estimated that through these grants and other efforts, more than 41,000 Montana additional kids start every school day with a healthy breakfast.
“Research shows that kids who start their day with school breakfast have higher test scores and better attendance,” Shore said. “We’re inspired by Governor Bullock’s commitment to making Montana a state where no kid goes hungry.”
Bridges’ contributions come from sales of his album “Sleeping Tapes” – a recording billed as a sleep aid, created by the actor and composer Keefus Ciancia.
