The unintended consequence of school breaks

CD Glin is its President PepsiCo Foundation and Global Head of Philanthropy at PepsiCo Inc.

Food insecurity affects people of all ages around the world, but children are the most vulnerable. As many as 30 million students they rely on school lunches for a significant part of their daily diet. Children need proper nutrition every day to not only survive but thrive in the classroom and beyond. Schools and nonprofits play a critical role in the fight against child hunger, but what happens during the holidays when schools are closed, children are home with their families, and school-provided meals are no longer available for those 30 million children? Companies of all sizes have an opportunity and a responsibility to help fill this gap and ensure that the holiday season is a time when children’s hearts and bellies are full.

An empty stomach hinders learning

When you think of school supplies, I’m sure you think of the usual: pens, paper, pencils, and clothes. However, many don’t consider the biggest school offering: food. Students who go to school hungry face an internal war. Without nourishment to help maintain a child’s inner peace, he experiences turmoil that can lead to anger, embarrassment, and even physical challenges like stomachaches and headaches. All of these factors hinder learning and participation in the classroom. Actually, a research by No Kid Hungry found that 76% of teachers saw decreased academic performance among students experiencing hunger.

During the school year, families know their children will have lunch and, in some classes, breakfast. But the certainty that you will have two meals a day is affected by the academic year. During weekends and holidays, those in historically disadvantaged areas are hungry and anxious about whether they will have another meal soon, further accelerating summer learning loss or ‘holiday brain drain’.

With limited funds and bandwidth from school staff, schools should not and cannot shoulder the entire burden of ensuring that students have access to nutritious meals and snacks, regardless of the day of the week or time of year.

As companies look at ways to make an impact, it’s worth considering getting involved in these initiatives, even in a small but meaningful way. Our children are our future leaders, even your future employees, and now is the time to nurture them, fuel their potential, and set them up for success.

Use your company’s strengths

Companies large and small have an opportunity and a responsibility to help fight food insecurity this holiday season. Not every company has a million dollars to give away, but you can still be a responsible corporate citizen using the resources at your disposal. Here are some ways your company can ensure one less child has to worry about where their next meal is coming from:

• Explore your logistical prowess. If your business makes, moves, sells, or distributes products, find ways to leverage that infrastructure to fill gaps at local nonprofits or schools. Expertise in product manufacturing and distribution and other capabilities, such as access to technology and equipment, can be used strategically to help these organizations reach more children without financial burden. Our Food for Good program takes advantage of many of these capabilities by sourcing, packaging and delivering USDA-approved products to schools and educational organizations across the country. In your company, leaders will need to find ways to effectively leverage the organization’s skills and capabilities to deliver solutions for those in need.

• Consider creating products that can be used for social benefit. While we are fortunate to make products that put smiles on people’s faces, we use the same R&D process to create foods that address malnutrition and combat food insecurity. In countries like India, Mexico and Guatemala, we’ve created Quaker-branded products specifically designed to address childhood malnutrition. These are not products that are already in stores, but for products that have been designed and distributed with some level of clinical evaluation in mind. Companies with manufacturing capabilities should consider creating specialized or enhanced products to address child hunger and meet their needs.

• Donate products or funds directly to food programs and nonprofits. If food and beverage production is your company’s expertise, product donation is a simple yet effective way to provide immediate support. For example, PepsiCo South Africa is working with the local government to donate breakfast products from Pioneer Foods to more than 35,000 children in South Africa. Alternatively, companies outside the food and beverage space can offer their distribution network (ie trucks, containers) to transport products to high-need locations or donate funds to purchase food/beverage for those who need it most. Tip: Ask your warehouse or distribution customers to track the code dates. Many times, produce can’t make it into stores because of near-expiration date codes, but it’s still fresh and consumable, so consider donating it to reduce both waste and hunger.

• Mobilize your greatest asset—your staff. Encourage your people to be part of the solution by volunteering. There are a number of ways your staff can contribute, including skills-based volunteering to support the organization’s operations, packing meals that can be placed in children’s backpacks, assembling care packages, hosting meals or volunteering at food banks. Staff involvement will not only help combat food insecurity, but can also be a driver of employee engagement and pride.

Now is the time to fight

Now is the chance to be a positive light in the dark world of food insecurity. By developing and nurturing the minds and bodies of our children, we can help ensure the success of our future leaders.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Everyone can become great because everyone can serve.” Every company can fight child hunger because every company can donate time, money, products or supply chain capabilities. If you can to help you must serving. Hunger is a war within children’s minds and bodies, and we must do what we can to fight this war. Our children need us.

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