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Looks like people are noticing the local talent we have out in our community! We just read this letter to the editior in the Santa Cruz Sentinel about two local bands that support Grind Out Hunger; Almost Chaos AND Blue Weekend. Thought we would share this with you all and give you a little bit more info about our involvement with middle/high school bands and how YOU can get involved.

Letter to the Editor, Santa Cruz Sentinel, 12/31/11

Ever since the Fury 66 Reunion show to benefit Grind Out Hunger, GOH has been getting several requests by local bands to play benefit concerts of their own. Many of these are local middle school and high school bands, with the occasional bigger bands such as I Don’t Wanna Hear It. Grind Out Hunger is first and foremost about empowering the youth. Any band that approaches us wanting to use their music to make a difference in their community will be immediately welcomed.

Almost Chaos, a big supporter of Grind Out Hunger, which was not stated in letter to the editor above, is only one of the many bands playing music to support the cause. The members of the band are quickly moving forward in their musical careers and are supporting our cause every step of the way. These kids have immense talent and if you havent had a chance to listen to them yet, be sure to.

We recently had a benefit show at Aptos Christian Fellowship Church where several high school bands played including; Rat Trap, Bell Thieves, Funk Faction, and Otis and the Fascist Bagels. Blue Weekend was scheduled to headline this event, but unfortunately had to back out at the last minute due to a sick band member. We approached them later after the show and asked if they would be willing to play a private show at the Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop to benefit Grind Out Hunger. Amped on the idea, they said yes. We are in discussion with them about a date and time. Stay tuned for more info. You aren’t going to want to miss this show.

If you are in a band and want to arrange/chat about setting up a benefit show please send an email to: SHAWN HATJES

Happy New Years Everyone!
And ROCK ON!

Almost Chaos donating cans to Grind Out Hunger

Blue Weekend

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MMS 2nd Grade Class showing off what items to bring to donate to the Grind Out Hunger Food Drive

Students Unite to Collect Food
Posted to Watsonville Patch on November 2, 2011 at 5:00am
Article by: Leigh Ann Clifton

Gazing out from the stage in the school’s Assembly Room, 15 second grade students stood and collectively asked the assembled audience some objective questions: “What if you only had one meal a day, could you be happy? Could you concentrate in school? Probably not,” they answered. “Your stomach would ache, your head would hurt and your heart would be broken.”

The audience, Mount Madonna School’s (MMS) 6th through 12th graders, listened quietly. “One in four children in Santa Cruz County doesn’t have enough to eat,” the second graders continued. “What did you have for breakfast and lunch? Will you have dinner tonight? Many in our community will not.”

Like many local schools, MMS is participating in the Second Harvest Food Bank’s “Grind Out Hunger” program, with students, faculty and staff urged to reach into their pantries and donate food to feed those less fortunate.

“Children in Santa Cruz County need our help,” comments 7-year-old Grace Timan.

“People are suffering,” adds classmate Ben Pearson.

“We are fortunate; we have food so we should help others,” says Addy Catterall-Pendleton.

“We want everyone here at MMS to be kind and give a donation,” urges Bryce Adams.

Following a recent presentation by Shawn Hatjes, an MMS alumnus who now works with the Grind Out Hunger program, the second grade adopted the food drive as part of their class’s social service curriculum, says second-grade teacher Jenni Leach.

The class learned about hunger in the community from the Second Harvest website, and practiced their math skills in referencing statistics from Second Harvest’s 2010 Hunger Survey. The students designed posters based on what they had learned to encourage donating on the MMS campus. They wrote letters to their 6th grade big buddies about why each person should donate to Grind Out Hunger. The second grade then created a class four-paragraph essay about the needs of the local community, the Grind Out Hunger program, MMS’ history of giving; and how the students can give more this year. The second graders presented their essay to the Mount Madonna’s middle and high school students to enlist their participation with the effort, too.

“According to Second Harvest ‘2010 Hunger Survey,’ some 17,000 people per week in Santa Cruz County are served food through the bank’s program, up from 12,000 in 2006,” notes Leach. “That is about 885,000 people a year needing food in this county!”

People wishing to contribute to MMS’ collection for Grind Out Hunger can bring up donations of canned and boxed foods. Monetary donations are also welcome – for every one dollar donated, Second Harvest is able to purchase three pounds of food from local farmers and vendors. Mount Madonna’s participation in the food drive continues until Thanksgiving.

Grind Out Hunger was started in 2003 by Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop owner Danny Keith, as a way to inspire kids to get involved with helping other kids in the community who didn’t have enough to eat. “He is one compassionate skateboarder,” says the second grade class.

MMS 2nd Grade Class presents Grind Out Hunger to Middle and High School Students

Grind Out Hunger Program Coordinator, Shawn Hatjes, with MMS 2nd Grade class after presentation.

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Carolyn breaking a board. Photo Credit: Tarmo Hannula of the Register Pajaronian

POWER TO THE YOUTH!

Twin Lakes Church is a huge supporter of Grind Out Hunger and Second Harvest Food Bank. Their poundage goal this year has been set to 1,000,000 Pounds!! Each church member, including the youth, have been asked to raise $100 by the end of December. Carolyn, 11, and her brother Dakota, both black belts in Tae Kwon Do, have decided to use their experience in martial arts to help fight hunger. They both are going to break 100 wooden boards and are asking friends, family, and supporters to pledge money per board. Pledges can be made at:www.boardbreakathon.com

Grind Out Hunger will be there to document this event. Show up and show your support!

The duo will complete the Break-A-Thon Saturday October 22nd from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at Twin Lakes Church Gymnasium located at 2701 Cabrillo College Drive in Aptos, California. The event will be filmed and posted on www.boardbreakathon.com and to YouTube.

Goal: $1000.00

Pledged: $2,137.00 (As of 10/22/11)

Carolyn explains: , “Going hungry hurts a lot more than breaking boards. We can do this so we will.”

Break-A-Thon to Fight Hunger

WHAT: The duo will be breaking 100 boards to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank.

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Oct. 22, 2011

WHERE: Twin Lakes Church gymnasium, 2701 Cabrillo College Drive, Aptos.

DETAILS: Pledges can be made at www.boardbreakathon.com

Carolyn

Dakota

Read article from Santa Cruz Sentinel: HERE

Read article from Register Pajaronian: HERE

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Its amazing what the youth can do when empowered. What started out 7 years ago as a way to teach kids altruism and compassion for their community has turned into a full blown spectacle. The goal for 2010 Grind Out Hunger campaign in Santa Cruz County was 250,000 pounds almost double 2009′s raise of 130,000 pounds.

This year was a bit different, Grind Out Hunger added a new partner with Skateworks Skateshop

Bill Strubing of Skateworks Skateshop

to combine forces with Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop, Jimbo Phillips Graphix and 102.5 KDON.  2010 for Grind Out Hunger was by far the craziest it has ever been, with the need to feed kids up more than ever and the students buckling down and getting serious about rising to the challenge.

St Francis came and helped at Santa Cruz County Fair

It all started with the Santa Cruz County Fair and education days collecting over 3000 pounds, great start to a busy year.

Then the speaking tour began, St Francis High, Aptos Jr. High, Cabrillo College, Gateway Elementary, Happy Valley Elementary, Lakeview Middle School, Santa Cruz High, Salesian Elementary and the list goes on.

3D Constructions Dominic Cusimano is a madman!

3D Constructions Dominic Cusimano and Jesse Gullings Painting spent over a month building ramps at Second Harvest Food Bank  so that Grind Out Hunger could do the 1st Annual Skateathon sponsored by Rotary Interact at Twin Lakes Church raking in over 13,000 pounds of food and giving away a 1999 Red Mustang (WHAT!).

1st Annual Skateathon at Twin Lakes Church raised 13,000 pounds of food

That led to Whole Foods Market Santa Cruz stepping up and throwing down the 1st annual SkateJam presented by Whole Foods Market Santa Cruz and Rotary Interact (see the theme here?) both of these events were peppered by rain but it did not deter the kids from coming out and skating while donating food to a great cause.

Whole Foods Market Santa Cruz and The Skate Jam

It seemed that the kids were on a roll, school after school was smashing their previous years raise and setting new standards, gauntlets were being thrown down and some claims of who was beating who at what were circulating around feverishly as no one wanted to be left behind on this one.  With $1800 in gift certificates up for grabs from Skateworks Skateshop and Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop, here are your 2010 Grind Out Hunger Champions!

The 2010 Grind Out Hunger Heavy Weight Champion was Monterey Coast Preparatory, Sinda Merritt and her students really set the bar raising over 21,000 pounds of food!! This amazing group of angels were relentless in their pursuit of raising food for kids putting the goal well ahead of themselves. Over the last three years with Grind Out Hunger, Sinda and crew have pulled in just under 40,000 pounds of food…not bad for 25 kids (do the math thats 1600 pounds per student!) Monterey Coast Prep takes home $600 in gift certificates to Skateworks Skateshop and Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop.

These kids got creative capping off their drive with "FREE" gift wrapping that raised thousands of dollars!

St Francis Central Coast Catholic High School, John Marheineke and the students invited Grind Out Hunger to come speak at their campus. Just over 200 kids attend the school and had barely participated in the food drive in years past. This was the 1st stop for 2010 Grind Out Hunger, you could feel the energy from the kids and they were pumped up. When asked what their goal was,  the students blurted out “8000 POUNDS”…later when speaking with John he was obviously worried, “How in the world are we going to do that??”.  In reality it didn’t matter if they did, the fact was they had a goal, were focused and no matter what they would give it 100%.  Grind Out Hunger is proud to say that the students and staff  not only hit the 8000 pounds they passed it. Congrats on the 10,001 pounds!!!!! St Francis Central Coast Catholic High School skates away with $600 in gift certificates to Skateworks Skateshop and Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop.

St Francis Central Coast Catholic High School sold 10 Grind Out Hunger skate decks totaling 3000 pounds!

Aptos Jr. High was a veteran of 2009 Grind Out Hunger and they lost no time is establishing that 2010 was going to be a record breaker.  Brian Saxton and his students proceeded to make challenges, prizes and selling hot cocoa…whatever it took to hit 10,000 pounds. Well…Aptos Jr. High not only did that they went to a whopping 11,662 pounds. Aptos Jr. High pulls a repeat and wheels away $300 in gift certificates to Skateworks Skateshop and Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop.

Aptos Jr. High presents a check to Grind Out Hunger for $3500 or 10,500 pounds!

Gateway Elementary is also no stranger to the Grind Out Hunger challenge. The staff and students here always get creative and focus on the end goal of feeding kids. The presentation at Gateway is always fun as the kids are so inquisitive about how the food gets distributed, what kind of food can they bring in and how much more the dollar actually allows the purchase of healthy nutritious food. Thank goodness this is our future at work, its apparent that if we continue to provide altruistic ways for the youth of today to participate, society will become a better place. Gateway Elementary dropped 6,545 pounds into the barrels and captured 1st place for Elementary schools. Gateway Elementary slashes its way to $300 in gift certificates to Skateworks Skateshop and Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop.

Gateway students are always excited when Grind Out Hunger starts up!

At the end of it all, the youth in all their amazingness (is that a word?) managed to roll right by the 250,000 pound number, sliding in at a cool 278,616 pounds setting a new record and firmly placing the youth of Santa Cruz County as the 3rd largest contributor to the Second Harvest Holiday Food Drive 2.1 million pound goal. It is impressive the direction that Grind Out Hunger is going and there is some amazing news on the horizon for this kid powered charity so stay tuned! Below is a list of the winners of the 2010 Grind Out Hunger Challenge with a full list of schools…is your school involved? If not email HERE and get involved.

Here is a total showing of all 2010 Grind Out Hunger schools, the 1st line is a total of all events like skate jams, online cash donations and anonymous donors. This year was a 1st for the colleges UCSC and Cabrillo College to participate in Grind Out Hunger. Both of these campuses are like small cities with over 40,000 students and staff between them its obvious that the partnership with higher education has some incredible possibilities!

There are also some honorable mentions of schools that made this their 1st year with Grind Out Hunger. Watch out for these schools next year!

Enjoy the 2010 Grind Out Hunger Scrapbook!

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Grind Out Hunger 2010 goal of 250,000 pounds

7 years ago when Grind Out Hunger was founded, I would have never imagined that it could become such a powerful tool for the youth. As I sit here and write on this day of excitement and family gatherings aka Christmas Eve, I can only think of all of the families that will have a holiday meal because the youth of Santa Cruz County stepped up and made a dent in the overall need of Second Harvest Food Banks 2.1 Million pound goal. I started this year at St. Francis High School, John Marheineke invited me out and the students claimed “8000 pounds is our goal”…he pulled me aside and asked me if I was crazy they had never raised more than a couple hundred pounds…I said to him “watch what these kids will do”…bookend that with Monterey Coast Prep’s Sinda Merrit excerpt from Facebook chats and phone calls “Hi its Sinda, this year Monterey Coast Prep is planning to double 2009′s raise of 8000 pounds, just thought I would give you a heads up”…

Then the year was off to a whirl wind Santa Cruz County Fair on September 15th was the official kickoff for the window on Grind Out Hunger overall thousands of kids came through and dropped food into the Grind Out Hunger Halfpipe…I must mention that we had some serious support from the Strubing Family/Skateworks Skate Shop, 102.5 KDON and The Morning Madhouse, Jimbo Phillips Graphix, Second Harvest Food Bank, FRINGE Gear, TAC Apparel, Shawn Hatjes/Santa Cruz Waves, 3D Construction , Jesse Gullings Painting, SKATEBOARDS.com, Rotary Interact and Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop.

Once the year kicked off I then began my rounds to schools, Monterey Bay Academy, St Francis High, Ceiba College Prep, Ocean Alternative School, Spring Hill Elementary, Aptos Jr High, Mission Hill Middle School, Santa Cruz High, Soquel High, Monte Vista Christian, Lakeview Middle School, Salesian Elementary, Gateway Elementary, Cabrillo College and there are probably more I am missing that I visited. This is not including all of the schools that participated in the Grind Out Hunger contest!! Rio Del Mar Elementary, Monterey Coast Prep, Aptos High School, Harbor High, Watsonville High, UCSC and lots more. All along the way watching as kids eyes lit up realizing their goal…

There were special events this year, Tarp Surfing came on board and raised 500 pounds, Rapid Fire donated their concert proceeds to Grind Out Hunger, 3D Construction’s Dominc Cusimano and Jesse Gullings Painting along with wood donated from Big Creek and Pro Build built a mobile skatepark allowing Grind Out Hunger to have skate events with Twin Lakes Church and Rotary Interact had the 1st Annual Skateathon as did Whole Foods Santa Cruz and Rotary Interact Skate Jam. Whole Foods Capitola held a Taste of Elegance and a few anonymous donors supported Grind Out Hunger and the youth. Home Space/Work Space did a 3 day extravaganza raising over $1000.  Shawn Hatjes Photography made photo post cards and donated profits to Grind Out Hunger. Appetizer Media donated proceeds from their iPhone Game and tons of skateboards were sold this year by the schools. It seemed as if everyone in Santa Cruz County was aware of Grind Out Hunger and wanted to help.

People Magazine recognized Grind Out Hunger as an All Star Among Us which meant we got to stand at home plate during a SF Giants game and providing the chance to run some food drives in Atlanta and New Jersey which ultimately, the goal is to take Grind Out Hunger nationwide.

This was another year of press with Grind Out Hunger getting coverage in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Register Pajaronian, Aptos Times, Mid County Post, GoodTimes, Santa Cruz Weekly, The Huffington Post, People Magazine, KSBW 8, KION 46, Community TV and Santa Cruz Waves.

2010 was one of success, numerous schools went above the 10,000 pound mark while one school went above the 20,000 pound mark all skating towards the 250,000 pound goal for this year.

A full recap with poundage from each school is coming as Second Harvest is still tallying the results from all that was collected in the 2010 Grind Out Hunger campaign and I have a feeling…call it a hunch…ok I have inside info…because the youth of Santa Cruz County decided they wanted to feed kids this year I am confident we will meet that goal of 250,00 pounds.

As I close, please take a moment and recognize the youth of Santa Cruz County, their supporters, their schools and their hearts which drove them to collect as much food and cash as humanly possible to feed kids.

I also want to recognize the staff that made all of this possible at Second Harvest Food Bank, Willy Elliot-McCrea whom without I could have never gotten off the ground, Sam Neider my trusty Grind Out Hunger assistant, Bly Morales for helping me make sure I knew where I was supposed to be and snapping pics, Lisa Allyn for keeping the spreadsheet straight, Vicki Lowell for blogging it up, Clyde Kimura for handling all of those barrel pick ups at schools around the county, All of the Second Harvest Drivers that had to go into the schools and get those full barrels, Brooke Johnson for tolerating the madness of delivering ramps all over the place and blessing the use of trucks, Victor Kimura for organizing insurance coverage for the skate events, Ernesto Nieves for organizing the storage and delivery of the skate ramps, Carlos Juarez, Doug Brooks, Mark Rodriguez and Frank Hernandez for hauling and deploying ramps even in the pouring rain so kids could skate, Megan Riggs for coming out and manning the tables at the skate events and finally accounting for counting all those dollars and cents the kids donated to make our goal of 250,000 pounds. Meet the Second Harvest Staff Here I genuinely thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Enjoy the pics from this years 2010 Grind Out Hunger campaign….Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Stay tuned for a full update in 2011 as we announce the total pounds raised, the standouts that made it happen and the plans for 2011 Grind Out Hunger…

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Okay barely two weeks in to the window for Grind Out Hunger and the youth of Santa Cruz County is taking this years goal of 250,000 pounds very seriously. Usually I would blog about each school, highlights…no such luck on this one! Schools are coming out swinging going for their own personal goals that are quickly coming into focus.  Below are some points to take interest in…

Monterey Bay Academy and Grind Out Hunger

Monterey Bay Academy came out of the gate 1st again this year collecting almost 4000 pounds of food! I need to swing out there and get them motivated to keep going! These kids raised about the same amount last year and are very inspiring.

St Francis High School and Grind Out Hunger

Here comes St. Francis High School…John Marheineke is leading the youth to an amazing 8000 pound goal!!! This is the first year that St. Francis High has been in the mix…already breaking the donation station once, these kids are on fire and will easily hit their goal as they just passed the 5000 pound raised mark!!! YEWWWWWWWWWWW!

Santa Cruz County Fair and Grind Out Hunger

Santa Cruz County Fair President Michael Bethke gave us the green light and we took off with it! Posted up for two days during kids education days, Grind Out Hunger and The Santa Cruz County Fair brought in 3300 pounds for our efforts. Over 3500 3rd and 4th grade students rolled through and got to know all about Grind Out Hunger.

2010 is shaping up to be the year Grind Out Hunger shatters records to feed children. The youth of  Santa Cruz County has grabbed it by the tail and will firmly own it I have no doubt. The competition window has just started and already Grind Out Hunger has over 12,000 pounds collected. Next few weeks we will be speaking at New Brighton Middle, Soquel High School, Santa Cruz High School, Shoreline Middle School, Scotts Valley High and many many more.

That 250,000 pound goal seems like it will be hit before Thanksgiving this year! If you want the Donation Station hit us up, we will bring it out to you!

Grind Out Hunger Donation Station

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Riding the tarp-surfing tsunami for a good cause

By ISAIAH GUZMAN

Posted: 09/05/2010 01:30:14 AM PDT

SANTA CRUZ — For years, the Grind Out Hunger campaign has been asking kids to fill barrels with food donations. Now, to get them to donate over the Labor Day Weekend, it’s offering to put them in a barrel — a plastic, blue, “surfable” barrel.

Riding the wave of a recent worldwide tarp surfing trend that began here in Santa Cruz, Grind Out Hunger will host an event Monday where kids can donate either a pound of food or $3 for a ride through what campaign founder Danny Keith calls “massive, kegging tarps.” The event will be held in the parking lot behind Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop on 41st Avenue and will run from noon-3 p.m. All food will go to Second Harvest Food Bank, and cash donations will be split between the food bank and local youth nonprofit, The Core.

“I think there’s other boring events kids are going to get dragged to this weekend,” said Keith, who also owns the skate and surf shop. “But kids would probably rather be tarp surfing than going to an airshow — I’m just saying.”

Started in 2004, Grind Out Hunger aims to get kids in local schools to donate food to other kids in need. More than 500,000 pounds of food have been raised through the campaign, Keith said. As incentive, Keith gives winning schools gift certificates to his shop.

More than 150 people have confirmed they will attend, according to the event’s Facebook page, and more than 200 are listed as maybe.

“At first, I didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deal,”  Keith said. “Now, I’m getting calls from people in San Francisco asking if the event is going on.”

Grind Out Hunger works closely with Second Harvest, which feeds about 60,000 people each month, said Bly Morales, the bank’s food drives and events manager.

“Any way we can get people involved is a good thing,” she said. “I’m going to be taking my son out there.”

Tarp surfing requires one person to run and pull the corner of a big, blue tarp. A tube is formed and another person can then ride a skateboard in and get “barreled” much like a real wave.

A tarp surfing tsunami has formed worldwide since well-known local surfers Homer Henard, Omar Etcheverry and Nic Lamb and friend Chris Killen released a spoof video on YouTube on July 19. Henard, Etcheverry and Killen will all be pulling tarps Monday.

Their video has received nearly 2 million hits, and media outlets throughout the world continue to contact them for interviews and TV segments. Tarp surfing is featured on the new Apple iPod Touch commercial, and Keith, who runs TarpSurfing.com for the group, said French-German television station ARTE recently did a piece on Henard for its music program, “Tracks.” The Los Angeles Times also wants to do a story on tarp surfing, and a Japanese TV station asked to film the event Monday.

“When the kids end up seeing how much they’ve raised, they realize, Wow, we really can make a difference,’ ” Keith said.

IF YOU GO

First Annual Tarp Surfing Extravaganza
Where: In the parking lot behind Santa Cruz Surf and Skate Shop, 912 41st Ave.
When: Noon-3 p.m. Monday
Grind Out Hunger: www.grindouthunger.org
Extravaganza info: Facebook page:www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141396115897090&ref=mf;

Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop website: www.santacruzbuilt.com

Catch the tarp surfing tsunami: Visitwww.tarpsurfing.com or check the YouTube video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6-vb20srZI

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Please vote for Danny Keith on behalf of charity Grind Out Hunger. He has been nominated as a People Magazine All Star. Click the link and go to San Francisco Giants and then vote for Danny Keith. We are so excited and hope all of you can help us out and win!!! Grind Out Hunger has raised over 500,000 pounds of food for kids in the last 5 years. http://www.mlb.com/peopleallstarsamongus/

Danny Keith nominated for People Magazine All Star award on behalf of Grind Out Hunger

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The Rotary Interact Club hopes to raise 10,000 pounds of food benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank

WATSONVILLE — Students at Watsonville High School are being challenged.

Danny Keith of the Second Harvest Food Bank encourages Watsonville High... (Robinson Kuntz/Sentinel)

The Rotary Interact Club wants them to raise 10,000 pounds of healthy food in 30 days to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank’s Food for Children Program.

“Our community is in major need for food,” said Martha Rodriguez, vice president of the Rotary Interact Club. The club is run by students whose parents belong to the Rotary Club.

Watsonville High School did not take part in the Second Harvest holiday food drive this winter. But the Interact Club is now excited to help feeding the community through this initiative, Rodriguez said.

Second Harvest Food Drives Manager Bly Morales and Promotions Associate Danny Keith kicked off the food drive Tuesday and Friday at the Henry J. Mello Center. Together, they tried to raise awareness among students.

“This is your problem, this is your community,” said Keith to the 400 students gathered in the Mello Center Friday. “You guys are the next leaders of our generation.”

Students can bring food to the school to help smash the 10,000-pound barrier by April 15. Every student donating 10 cans of food can even get a Saturday detention class knocked off, if they happen to have one, Keith said.

“I think they can do big things, they just need to get informed and motivated,” Morales said about the students.

In his speech, Keith reminded students that one in four kids are going hungry every day in Santa Cruz County. In a striking move, he asked half of the assembly to raise their hands and said: “This is how many people are going hungry in your school.” Keith also asked students to focus on doing well in tests as Watsonville High School and other Pajaro Valley schools have recently been announced to be the among the lowest-achieving in the state. It’s an issue that some think is related to poverty and inadequate nutrition in the county.

“It definitely could be a factor; kids who don’t have a good breakfast can’t think,” said Second Harvest Development Director Lisa Allyn, stressing that 24 percent of the food collected year-round by Second Harvest is dedicated to the children program.

Junior student Paulina Hurtado shares the same opinion.

“The healthier you are, the better you can adapt to new environments and face challenges,” Hurtado said.The 17-year-old was inspired by Keith’s intervention and intends to bring a few cans of food to help, she said.

Keith will come to Watsonville High School every week during the drive to monitor the progress.

If the Rotary Interact Club reaches its 10,000-pound goal, the Morning Madhouse Radio on KDON 102.5 will present members a prize, Keith said.

“I don’t want to give all the details now,” Keith said. “It’s a surprise.”