This document summarizes a service learning project conducted by students at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School to raise awareness about childhood hunger in their community. The students researched facts about hunger, wrote announcements and newsletters, organized a food drive that collected over 1,500 pounds of food, and held a family night event that raised over $300 for a local food pantry. The project engaged students, teachers, parents, and community volunteers and helped educate the school community about childhood hunger issues while taking action to address the problem.

1. Service Learning Project
Ending Childhood Hunger
Fall Semester – Service Learning Project for
Douglas MacArthur Elementary School
Indianapolis, IN

2. Students Research Facts
4th and 5th grade students researched facts
about childhood hunger in our community.
They found out that students went to
different locations in Indianapolis to receive
meals during the summer. One of the places
was the Indianapolis Children’s Museum.
We established a partnership with their
Sodexo employees.

3. Announcements and Newsletters
A collaboration between students began by
writing and reading daily announcements on
facts about childhood hunger. Fifth graders
asked if they could work with the younger
students to read the announcements each
morning. By the second week the students were
writing skits to say on the announcement to
make their research more interesting. They
wrote their own characters and used different
voices. It was very effective.

4. The fourth grade students in Mrs. Campbell’s class wrote
letters to mayoral candidates with their concerns about
childhood hunger in Indianapolis, IN.

5. Students Sorting And Counting
Donated Food For Our Food Drive.
Students collected, counted and sorted the daily donations
from each class. The student s then wrote announcements
about the winning class. The announcements included facts
about the food pantry’s weekend back pack program.

6. Chef’s Table
The chefs were setting up their table for family night. This
activity was to teach children and parents how to make a quick
and healthy meal.

7. Volunteer Sign In for Family Night

8. Newsletters
 Weekly newsletter articles were published in the
school’s newsletter. Mrs. Becker wrote blogs
based on what the students were doing for our
project to end childhood hunger by 2015.
 Families were asked to go to nokidhungry.org and
take the pledge.
 Students, staff and parents discussed ideas about
bringing awareness to childhood hunger and
what individuals and families could do to help.

9. Let’s Do Something
Students decided to write letters and create art
projects to bring awareness to Childhood
Hunger in our area. No only would this give
student the chance to present ideas but it would
also advertise our FOOD DRIVE for Gleaner’s
Food Bank.

10. Second
Graders
This second grade class wrote
letters to the mayor with their
ideas about how to end childhood
hunger.
This class had a great solution
which we used at Family Night.
The class discussed having a bake
sale and a lemonade stand.
The students and their parents
baked and donated cookies.
Students set up the bake sale and
lemonade stand. The made
posters, covered the tables to
make it look very inviting. They
priced everything and had to keep
a cash box that night.
Students also made
announcements through out the
night and offered special prices at
the end of family night.

11. Team Effort

12. Food Drive
Making posters for the food Student Driven
drive
 Students made posters to
advertise the food drive
 They added information
about the weekend
backpack program which
provides meals to students
for the week end to ensure
they have meals at home.

13. Setting Up The Kitchen For
Family Night

14. Chefs from the Indianapolis Children’s Museum
Sodexo employees from The Indianapolis Children’s
Museum are ready to teach families how to prepare an
easy and simple meal.

15. Great American Bake Sale and
Lemonade Stand
Students are setting up to sell donated bake goods
and lemonade at Family Night. All proceeds went
to Hunger Inc. – a local food pantry.

16. Facts about childhood hunger were
posted.
After reading facts about childhood hunger on the
announcements, they were posted in the main hallway of
school.

17. Getting Food Ready To Serve A Meal On Family Night
With over 45 volunteers and 250 participants
Family Night at Douglas was a great success.

18. Family
Night
Mark Smith, a local dance studio owner, is teaching
dances on family night. Students and their parents
were learning how to do the swing.

19. Facts on Childhood Hunger
More than 50 million Americans struggle to put
food on the table. More than 17 million of
those affected are children.

20. Children who struggle with hunger
are sick more often, recover more
slowly, and are more likely to be
hospitalized.

21. They are more likely to experience
headaches, stomachaches, colds, ear
infections and fatigue.

22. Hands Are Washed And
Gloved Waiting For
Customers.
Students are showing the gloves they are
wearing when working with food.

23. Students setting up for the bake
sale for family night

24. Community Volunteers
Community volunteers also brought their
own families to help out with our project.

25. Facts We Learned About
Childhood Hunger
1. Hunger impedes our children's’ ability to
learn and perform academically
2. Undernourished children under the age of 3
cannot learn as much, as fast or as well.
3. Lack of enough nutritious food impairs a
child’s ability to concentrate and perform
well in school.

26. What We Know
Undernourished children under the age of 3
cannot learn as much, as fast or as well.
Children who don’t get enough nutritious
food are more susceptible to the negative
effects of skipping breakfast on their ability
to think and learn.
Hunger predisposes our children to
emotional and behavioral difficulties.

27. More Facts
Hunger predisposes our children to
emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Hunger impedes our children's’ ability to
learn and perform academically.
Teens who regularly do not get enough to eat
are more likely to be suspended from school
and have difficulty getting along with other
kids.

28. HUNGER IMPEDES OUR CHILDREN'S’
ABILITY TO LEARN AND PERFORM
ACADEMICALLY.
Children who regularly do not get enough
nutritious food have more behavioral,
emotional and academic problems and tend
to be more aggressive and anxious.
Teens who regularly do not get enough to eat
are more likely to be suspended from school
and have difficulty getting along with other
kids.

29. Volunteers Are
Presented
With Thank
You Gifts
Volunteers from Citizens Energy are presented
with thank you gifts for volunteering for our
service learning project.

30. Wrap Up
o Students from each class collected, o A second food drive and fund
counted and sorted cans daily. raiser was organized for Hunger’s
o Students wrote and read daily Inc.
announcements about the food o Over $300.00 and 12 boxes of food
drive. was collected for Hunger’s Inc. at
o First place winners received a pizza our Family Night.
party o Students wrote thank you notes
o Students organized family night and decorated Christmas Stockings
through committee meetings to give to volunteers who worked
o 1,500 pound of food was collected at family night.
for Gleaner’s Food Pantry. o Everyone at Douglas McArthur
learned they can make a
difference to end childhood
hunger.
o Families learned healthy recipes
and activities.

31. What The Future Holds
• A community garden will be planted in the spring.
• Special education students, English language learners, and student
council will begin planting vegetables and herbs in January with indoor
grow lights.
• Community members and parents will help establish an after school
garden club.
• A collaboration with the Chin and Hispanic community is being discussed
to establish a partnership with their existing community gardens.
• A spring or summer family night is being discussed to harvest the
community garden and create recipes from the produce.
• A field trip to Gleaner’s Food Bank is being planned to show students
more about the weekend backpack program.

32. DEDICATION
• What can make 15 teachers, PTA presidents and 5 PTA members, 12
Student Council parents, 16 students, 17 community members, 8
teachers’ relatives and one assistant principal come together for one
night. Service Learning! Our staff, parents, community members, family
members, and students worked together to raise awareness to end
childhood hunger.
• Service learning involves teaching the state standards while doing
community service. The project has an outline but, is student driven.
Students are able to learn about their community, bringing awareness to
issues, such as childhood hunger and work together to create solutions.
• Douglas MacArthur has done service learning projects for the past 4
years. Each year more and more students, staff and parents get involved
to create a better community.

33. Thank You
Everyone For Your
Support