Seattle Seahawks defensive back Marcus Trufant patiently fielded the question from a young inquirer, raised his eyebrows and paced the floor.

“About my injury? Good question,” he said, pausing to answer. “My injury is better. I’ve been working out, eating right, drinking my milk, running and lifting weights.

“So, do you think I’m pretty strong?”

Students gathered inside the Evergreen Heights Elementary School gymnasium during an assembly Monday afternoon shouted a loud, unified “yeah!”

Trufant, a Tacoma native and nine-year Seahawk, visited the Auburn school to promote the importance of breakfast consumption – part of the Washington State Dairy Council’s campaign in conjunction with the NFL’s Fuel Up to Play 60 effort.

“I drink my milk. Will you do it with me?” Trufant asked the young crowd.

Trufant, 31, is recovering from a lower back injury that cost him most of last season. The Seahawks expect Trufant to be ready for training camp this year.

Accompanied by Seahawks’ mascot Blitz and the Sea Gals, Trufant explained the importance of healthy eating healthy and eating right, beginning with a good breakfast. He talked to the school’s 440 students about the importance of making dairy products a part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

The Dairy Council made the kickoff event possible, punctuating the assembly by officially awarding a Fuel Up to Play 60 grant to the Auburn School District. The $7,000 grant will be distributed among Auburn schools, allowing the district’s Child Nutrition Services to purchase blenders and related equipment to serve smoothies in district cafeterias on a daily basis. The grant also will be used to buy nutritional posters to help increase breakfast participation throughout the district.

Only 28 percent of Auburn students participate in the breakfast program.

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” said Margaret Dam, Child Nutrition Services coordinator. “Our goal is to ensure students have healthy and fresh food selections all day long.”

The district developed a model where students can conveniently pick up their breakfasts and eat right in their classrooms before school starts, Dam explained. The program also offers a wide variety of healthy breakfast foods, such as scrambled eggs and breakfast sandwiches, whole grains and breads, fruit and vegetable bar and low-fat milk.

“Smoothies will be another great option for students to choose from,” Dam said.

Fuel Up to Play 60, which operates in conjunction with the NFL’s Play 60 effort, is an in-school nutrition and physical education program that encourages students to consume nutrient-rich foods and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily.

The school district approached the Dairy Council for assistance when they discovered that half of the children in its breakfast program didn’t take milk as part of their meal. To remedy this problem, the district applied for a breakfast grant to start a “yogurt smoothie program” in 10 of the district’s elementary and middle schools.

“A smoothie with low-fat milk or yogurt and fruit is an excellent way for students to get the benefits of dairy in a convenient and delicious package,” said Linda Mendoza, RD, CD, health and wellness manager with the Washington State Dairy Council.

The ultimate goal is to ensure changes made at school are sustainable so children have more opportunities to be physically active and to eat nutrient-rich foods like low-fat and fat-free milk, fruit, whole grains and vegetables throughout the school campus.

“We hope this grant, and grants to other schools across the state, will help create a healthy school environment by providing resources and nutrition information in both classrooms and cafeterias,” Mendoza said.