In his third year of teaching high school math at Miami Northwestern Sr. High School in Liberty City, Teach For America alum, Mr. Caesar (Miami-Dade '15), found that many students were sleepy, lacking focus, irritable, and struggling to make connections. Then one day it clicked - they were hungry. "A lack of a nutritious start to the day makes learning extremely difficult," he says. According to the CDC, currently, only 22% of people meet the Federal government's guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption in Miami. Hunger due to insufficient food intake is associated with lower grades, higher rates of absenteeism, repeating a grade, and an inability to focus among students. When presented with the opportunity to participate in Teach For America and Miami EdTech's SIEL Accelerator, an entrepreneurial fellowship for educators in partnership with the Knight Foundation, Caesar decided to develop his own innovative startup idea, B&G Smoothies For Students.  "I came up with the idea of 'drink a smoothie, feed a child.' A delicious way to give back to your community and support local students." 

For every smoothie purchased, Caesar's company, B&G Smoothies, donates a breakfast smoothie to a student living in a food desert, a community with limited access to healthy food options. Caesar launched his project on crowdfunding site, IndieGoGo, and with the help of his supporters, he quickly met his goal, allowing him to increase mobility and outreach of his program. "Smoothies For Students is my way of helping give our students a chance at academic success," says Caesar. "By providing all-natural, healthy breakfast smoothies designed by a certified nutritionist, we can help kids receive their vitamins, nutrients, and a fair chance at learning!" B&G Smoothies currently delivers on weekends for online orders of $30 or more. They also sell regularly in local farmers markets, at pop-up events and provide catering for office events, parties, camps and more.

To see the menu and place your order today, click here, or call (786) 753-9966. 

Follow @Smoothies4Students on social media to see where Mr. Caesar and his innovative startup will be next!