BiO-L«nc«st*r Farming, Saturday, February 26, 1994
Phillie Phanatic Promotes Milk
PHILADELPHIA (Philadelphi
a Co.) Philadelphia school
children are getting excited about
drinking milk and eating breakfast
at school thanks to the newest
milk spokesperson, the Phillie
Phanatic.
As the spokesperson for the
Middle Atlantic Milk Marketing
Association (MAMMA) the Pha
natic is visiting Philadelphia
elementary schools to encourage
students to drink milk and eat
breakfast at school everyday.
This is part of the 1994 School
Milk Initiative MAMMA has
created to increase school milk
sales throughout the entire Middle
Atlantic region during the next
few years.
MAMMA selected the School
District of Philadelphia to launch
the school milk program because
of the great potential for growth in
the school breakfast program.
Growth in the school breakfast
program will generate additional
school milk sales because a half
pint of milk is a USDA require
ment for each breakfast served.
The school breakfast program is
a federally-subsidized program
created to assure that a nutritious
breakfast is available to all child
ren. The premise behind the prog
ram is simple: hungry children
can’t learn.
The “Eat smart and be smart
message” of the Phillie Phanatic
will reach about 111,500 Philadel
phia elementary students through
30 live school appearances and
through the video-taped
performances.
The Phanatic school tour is just
one component of MAMMA’s
School Milk initiative. The visits
lead up to the “I Love Milk” at
breakfast contest being held
March 7-11, during National
School Breakfast week with the
School District of Philadelphia.
To kick-off MAMMA’S Phlllle Phanatic school milk promotion the furry mascot was tion 106%. Before the contest this
Joined by (left to right) Jennifer Grimes, Pennsylvania State Dairy Princess; Wade school averaged serving about 230
Groff, MAMMA Director; Robert McSparran, MAMMA director; Phlllle Phanatic; Joan breakfasts each week; 513 break-
Ndchmani, coordinator of dietetic services SDP; and Mollie Williams, Dlsston fasts were served during the con-
Elementary School principal. test week.
Students who drink milk and
eat breakfast every day will be
eligible to win tickets to the May
22nd Phillies game or a Phanatic/
Darren Daulton growth poster,
More than 11,000 prizes will be
awarded to winning students.
All Philadelphia elementary
students will receive an oversized
color photo of the Phillie Phanatic
with a milk/school breakfast
puzzle on the back, and colorful
book covers bearing nutritional
information.
To air next month is the Phana
tic and milk television commercial
targeting adults, but suitable for
youngsters, too, to remind parents
of the importance of drinking milk
at any age.
Building Future Milk Sales
Between the 1991-92 school
year and the 1992-93 school year
10,000 gallons of school milk
sales were lost in the School Dis
trict of Philadelphia, according to The Phillie Phanatic, sponsored by the Middle Atlantic Milk Marketing Association
Jack Baldwin, president of Bai- (MAMMA), made a special appearance at Darley Road Elementary School. Shown
ford Farms, the school milk from left to right Darley Road principal Robert King; Lela Mummed, MAMMA; Kim
distributor. Dohedy, food services supervisor of the Brandywine School District; and Lisa Diew
“We want to regain the lost aid, Dairy Council, Inc., displaying books provided by Dairy Council
milk sales in the school district,
but more importantly we want to
get these children into the habit of
drinking milk now when they are
young. These children are the milk
drinkers of tomorrow,” said Lela
Mummed, MAMMA program
director, “so we are building a
strong base for future sales.”
With only a small percentage of
the student body participating in
the school breakfast program there
is a great potential and likelihood
of increased student participation.
“We could be serving as many
school breakfasts as school
lunches,” said Thomas
McGlinchy, director of Food Ser
vices for the School District of
Philadelphia. “Currently, there is a
(Turn to Pago Bit)
The Phillie Phanatic gets students excited about good nutrition, school breakfast
and drinking milk when he visits schools.
In Philadelphia Schools
‘I Love Milk’
Breakfast Promotion
SOUTHAMPTON (Bucks Co.)
“I Love Milk” was the enthu
siastic cry being chanted at the
Darley Road Elementary School
in Claymount, DE, on Friday,
February 4. These students were
celebrating winning the “I Love
Milk Contest” sponsored by the
Dairy Council of Southampton,
and the Middle Atlantic Milk
Marketing Association (MAM
MA), in conjunction with the
Brandywine (DE) School District.
During the week of Jan. 10-14,
the Brandywine School District’s
13 elementary schools competed
in the contest. The goal of the con
test was to increase breakfast par
ticipation in the schools and the
school with the greatest increase
would be the winner. According to
Kim Doherty, food service super
visor for the district, the Darley
Road Elementary School
increased its breakfast participa-
While Philadelphia's WPVI
TV and Delaware’s Cable Chan
nel 2 covered the event, the win
ning kids were treated to ice
cream compliments of Hy-Point
Dairy; a collection of children’s
books focusing on food, health,
nutrition and farming, compli
ments of Dairy Council; and an
exciting visit from the Phillie Pha
natic compliments of MAMMA.
Other prizes included colorful
book covers, T-shirts, soccer
balls, and a bike and helmet The
Delaware State Dairy Princess
helped give out the awards.
On the day of the awards, Dar
ley Road Principal Robert King,
said that the children and parents
still are behaving as if the contest
was continuing because breakfast
participation is remaining so high.
It is the goal of MAMMA and
Dairy Council that through these
breakfast initiatives, eating break-
fast will become a good habit to be
adopted by these youngsters not
just one week of the year but
for a lifetime. And that they will
always love their milk! ■