February 6, 2008 – Students in the nation's capital have joined the fight to end world hunger. Nearly 300 students at Cardozo High School in Washington, DC, as well as local school foodservice directors, industry, SNA and Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) staff, participated in the nationwide kick-off of the "Change Our World" promotion.
A two-day, fundraising campaign took place at SNA Headquarters on January 31, 2008, and Cardozo High School the following day, raising money for GCNF and generating excitement leading up to Global Child Nutrition Month, which takes place in April. GCNF programs combat childhood hunger around the globe by advancing sustainable and effective school feeding programs.
First, an event at SNA Headquarters brought together several school foodservice directors from Montgomery County (MD), Harford County (MD), Cecil County (MD), Prince William County (VA) and District of Columbia Public Schools with staff from SNA, GCNF, The Schwan Food Company™ and T. Furr & Associates to promote this campaign. The next day, several of the adults met with students at Cardozo for an assembly program. Barbara Belmont, CAE, Executive Director of SNA, shared with the kids that as many as 300 million of the world's children—a number equal to the total population of the entire United States—are trapped in the grinding cycle of poverty and hunger.
David Goodman, Executive Director of Food Services for DC Public Schools, also encouraged the kids about their ability to make a difference. Goodman is known in his district for improving the school lunches partly in response to student complaints about the poor quality of their previous cafeteria food. These changes have received an overwhelming "thumbs up" from the kids—food sales in select schools have increased as much as 500%!
After the assembly, Cardozo students got the chance to take action, donating their spare change to end world hunger through the "Change Our World" campaign. During the lunch period, milk jugs were placed throughout the cafeteria to collect student donations. Their efforts attracted the attention of Washington, DC, Mayor Adrian Fenty and DC Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, who joined the students to sample the new lunch fare being offered and to take part in "Change Our World" campaign activities.
Altogether, these two events raised more than $800 for GCNF. Part of the donations also went to the DC Central Kitchen, an area food bank. Most importantly, these events empowered kids in the capital of one of the world's most powerful nations to reach out and help other kids both here and around the globe.
