38,000 pounds of kindness: neighbours filled red bags so no student learns hungry

On Saturday, October 24, hundreds of students, families and volunteers gathered at the Grace Hopper Center in Arlington, Virginia, for National Make a Difference Day — and broke a record. Together they collected, sorted and organised more than 38,000 pounds of food donations, 30% more than the previous month's effort, to stock food pantries at 60 middle and high schools across Northern Virginia, including nine Arlington schools and programs. The collection marked the 10th anniversary of Food For Neighbors, whose simple Red Bag Program asks neighbours to fill a red bag with food and leave it on the doorstep for volunteers to pick up. When students can eat, Arlington Public Schools notes, they can focus, join in and learn.

SDG 2 · Zero hunger — Mechanism: community action