Changing The World With Nickels And Dimes: Global Child Nutrition Month Kicks Off!

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 11 Apr 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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Empty your pockets and flip the seat cushions - your loose change is needed! April is Global Child Nutrition Month and to celebrate, the School Nutrition Association (SNA), in conjunction with the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) is collecting funds to Change the World. SNA and GCNF encourage school nutrition professionals to take a day, a week, or the whole month to partner with students and teachers in raising funds to fight global hunger.

Nearly 300 million of the world's children are caught in the debilitating cycle of poverty and hunger. According to the World Food Programme, 170 million of these children attend school, but most do not receive meals there. Because a hungry child cannot learn, GCNF works to help nations build and sustain school feeding programs to nurture and educate children.

During Global Child Nutrition Month, school nutrition professionals are encouraged to participate in a grassroots effort to collect coins in schools across the country. Through the Change Our World campaign, the funds raised will be used to support GCNF and other local and international hunger organizations. Hundreds of school districts nationwide are participating this month. Some examples include:

- In Minnesota, students and community members at St. Paul Public Schools enjoyed children's games, a cake walk, and more at the World of Hope festival. The festival, which took place in late March, raised $10,000 for the Change Our World campaign.

- Ohio school nutrition professionals enjoyed a fundraiser lunch with SNA President Dr. Katie Wilson, PhD, SNS.

In its second year, Change Our World is an annual fundraising campaign held during Global Child Nutrition Month. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness about global hunger. Last year, Change Our World raised $110,000 for GCNF. Originally created by Schwan's Food Service, Inc. and GCNF, this year's campaign includes several new industry partners, including Horizon Software, J&J Snack Food, and Nutrikids. For additional information regarding the campaign, please visit http://www.changeourworldonline.org.

The Global Child Nutrition Foundation is a nonprofit corporation whose mission and vision are to help the nations of the world nurture young bodies and advance young minds through the time-tested practice of school-based nutrition. The School Nutrition Association is a national, non-profit professional organization representing more than 55,000 members who provide high-quality, low-cost meals to students across the country.

Source
The School Nutrition Association

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