‘Share Your Bowl’ Program Produces ‘Gr-r-reat’ Results

College of Wooster donates 728 boxes of Kellogg’s cereal to People to People Ministries

WOOSTER, Ohio — College of Wooster students ramped up their intake of cereal in April so there would be enough Corn Flakes to feed the hungry in Wayne County for three months. It was part of Kellogg’s “Share Your Bowl” program, through which the company pledged to match every bowl consumed by students during the month.

“Our students really got behind the project,” said Chuck Wagers, director of dining services at Wooster. “We almost doubled the maximum target (6,400 bowls) set by Kellogg’s.”

Wooster, which was the first school in Ohio and only the third in the U.S. to participate in the project, “snapped, crackled, and popped” its way to 728 boxes of cereal, which were delivered to People to People Ministries in Wooster on June 24.

“It’s just amazing,” said Lydia Stahl, executive director of People to People. ”Cereal products are among the top 10 items requested by our clients. It would take months for us to accumulate this type of inventory through regular donations and purchases. We have never had this much cereal on hand at one time. It’s wonderful.”

Wagers, who spearheaded the project, was equally pleased to have a role in helping to stock the agency’s food pantry. “We’re just happy we could be a part of this,” he said. “It’s good for our students to support the community through this type of program.”

The project is one of several sponsored by The College of Wooster that helps to fight hunger throughout the year. Wooster’s Soup-and-Bread program enables students to eat lighter, less-expensive lunches once a week during the school year and contribute $3 from each of those meals to a fund that is later distributed to various hunger agencies. Students can also donate surplus portions of their meal plans at the end of each semester to purchase food items from MacLeod’s Convenient Store in Lowry Center that are then donated to People to People.