April is Global Child Nutrition Month

This month marks the first Global Child Nutrition Month. All month long schools will celebrate the month by raising awareness and funds for school feeding efforts worldwide.21-04-2008

To date, at least 600 schools have committed to hosting events that raise awareness about global child hunger and encourage global citizenship. Many schools are holding creative fundraisers, scheduling assemblies or featuring international lunch menus with the goal of raising 25 cents per student.
Global Child Nutrition Month (GCNM) supports the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, a501 c(3) committed to eliminating childhood hunger across the globe through the creation of self-sustaining school nutrition programs. The Foundation believes that by nurturing young bodies and minds, a more stable, peaceful world can be built.
In one district in suburban Chicago almost all of the elementary schools plan to hold events during April to make students aware of global school feeding efforts and the Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF.) Information will be printed on April menu backs, a short digital video on charitable giving and global hunger will be played in each classrooms and each school will determine their own particular promotion. District school nutrition staff will offer an incentive awarding the top five schools in the district who have the best participation, with the next ten receiving special recognition as well. The district also hopes to partner with large employers in the community to have them match the funds raised by students for global school feeding efforts.
Not far away in Beavercreek, Ohio, outside of Dayton, school nutrition director JoAnne Robinett, SNS has set a fundraising goal of $2,500 for her district of 7,500 students. She will be meeting with her school kitchen managers to discuss promotions and events around Global Child Nutrition Month. Part of her plans include distributing 5,000 coin-like tokens that will be given out with each lunch served on April 1st. The token will be a reminder for students to bring a coin back for the GCNM campaign. Posters will decorate school dining rooms. The local dairy has agreed to donate 250 pint milk bottles which will each get a GCNM campaign sticker. The bottles will be offered to staff and classes to collect change as well as placed at each school lunch cashier station. The goal is to fill each bottle with $10. Prizes will go to those who have the largest amount in their bottle, and a party will be thrown in honor of the class who raises the most money by the end of April.
The Global Child Nutrition Foundation was created in 2006 with the mission of expanding opportunities for the world's children to receive adequate nutrition for learning and achieving their potential. It continues and expands upon the work of the Global Child Nutrition Forum, formerly conducted by the School Nutrition Association (SNA). Created in 1946, SNA advocates healthy nutrition for every child in the United States.