Winner to Receive an All-Expense-Paid Trip to the NFL Pro Bowl in Miami
The New York City Department of Education (DOE) and the New York Jets today announced a sweepstakes to encourage parents to submit the school meals application for free and reduced-price lunch for their children. Parents will be automatically entered in the contest when they submit the application form. The winning family receives a trip for two to the National Football League Pro Bowl in Miami in 2010, sponsored by the Jets. The sweepstakes is part of the DOE’s “Feed Your Mind” campaign to ensure that eligible students receive lunch served in City public schools at a reduced price or for free. To make it easy to sign up, families can access the lunch applications through ACCESS NYC at www.nyc.gov/accessnyc, the online tool that allows New Yorkers to pre-screen human services benefits offered by more than 35 different City, State, and federal programs on a single website. The online application simplifies the process for families with children in different schools, allowing them to submit one application for all of their children instead of separate applications for each child.
DOE Chief Executive for School Support Services Eric Goldstein was joined by New York Jets Tight End Dustin Keller, DOE Chef Jorge Collazo, and the DOE’s Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) director Donald Douglas at Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.
“We want every child who is eligible to get their meals at school either for free or at a reduced price, and we need to receive forms from parents to ensure that this happens,” Chief Executive for School Support Services Goldstein said. “I want to thank the Jets for providing a special incentive to encourage families to participate.”
“The New York Jets are committed to supporting nutrition and fitness for New York City’s students,” said Dustin Keller of the New York Jets. “Whether it is through the SchoolFood ‘Feed Your Mind’ program or our partnership with the Public Schools Athletic League, the Jets feel exposure to nutrition and sports programs is important. I am particularly proud to be part of this outreach effort to help educate families about the importance of healthy eating and the options that are afforded to them through the New York City public school system.”
“The Jets have been supportive of our students on the field and in the classroom,” PSAL Director Douglas said. “Their support has helped to sustain our teams and introduced our students to a top-notch competitive athletics program.”
More than 30,000 student athletes, both boys and girls, participate in the PSAL, with many playing multiple sports. In addition, more than 200 high schools participate, competing in 28 varsity sports and nine junior varsity sports, represented by more than 2,400 teams.
The Department of Education serves 860,000 meals each day. The lunch application is essential in determining federal reimbursement for the expenses that the City incurs in providing these meals. The Department also uses the application to help determine Title I funding for schools and student eligibility for Supplemental Educational Services.
Over the next several weeks, school administrators, teachers, and parent coordinators will inform parents about the sweepstakes and remind them to submit the school lunch applications. All students whose applications are processed by November 25 will be eligible for a variety of prizes, including a free trip, donated by the Jets, for the winning family to attend the Pro Bowl in Miami this January. The grand prize winner will be selected in a random drawing and announced on Dec. 14. This is the fifth year the Jets have donated a trip to the Pro Bowl.