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Kids…are POWERFUL!!!!

I am overcome with emotion while writing this blog…Grind Out Hunger set a goal of 100,000lbs for the 2009-2010 Kids Helping Kids Holiday Food Drive…Bly Morales, Lisa Allyn and myself planned speaking engagements, distributed DVD’s, spoke at dozens of schools across Santa Cruz County, built a holiday window downtown, muscled a 41st Ave Safeway food drive, landed the cover for the Thanksgiving edition of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, 102.5 KDON was the leading media sponsor, Santa Cruz Junior Derby Girls raised food, birthday party food drives were going down, Grind Out Hunger Skateboards were selling like hotcakes, 831 magazine did a cover story on Grind Out Hunger….I could go on and on with the exposure and support for Grind Out Hunger in 2009. But when it comes right down to it, THE KIDS ARE THE ONES WHO PULLED THROUGH AND MADE THIS HAPPEN and I am proud to say for the 2009-2010 Grind Out Hunger Campaign together we raised 116,853 pounds not only smashing the goal of 100,000 pounds but almost doubling 2008-2009′s 60,000 pounds….never underestimate the YOUTH!

Below are the winners of the 2009-2010 Grind Out Hunger food drive, congratulations to all! I am so humbled at the support and love that Grind Out Hunger has received….we will see you at the March 10th awards dinner.

A 'Grind Out Hunger' skate deck from Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop on 41st Avenue can help out the needy while at the same time giving the teen in your life a treasured present (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

Empire Academy winning high school $600 prize and 3-Pete raising 8530lbs

Aptos Jr. High middle school winner $300 prize raised 7800lbs

Gateway Elementary School $300 prize

Special thanks to: Bly Morales, Willy McRea, Lisa Allyn, Sheree Storm, Kate Chabrek, Jimbo Phillips(provided art for skateboard deck and campaign),  Sam Segovia, Showbiz, The Morning Madhouse, 102.5 KDON, Greg Archer, The Good Times, SoWat TV, The Santa Cruz Sentinel, KION 46, 831 Magazine, Ryan Zen Lama, All the schools that had us out to talk, Safeway on 41st Ave, Santa Cruz Skate and Surf Shop, Zane Keith, Cole Kerby, Mia Morales, Omar Morales, Xavier Morales, Mark Conley, Romain Fonsegrives, Shmuel Thaler, Santa Cruz Innovation and Design, Maya Delano, Lars Maptstead, Paul Gallagher, Surf Club at Berkley, people that donated money though Facebook,  volunteers that helped out anytime we asked, The Santa Cruz County Boy Scouts, Brian Russ, Classic Cleaners, Coats For Kids, Dusty Nelson (DVD master!), iSpot Compassion,  Second Harvest Food Bank and of course my wife Taniya and family for  supporting me with everything needed to make all of these things happen….

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!!!!

2010-2011 here we come…

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Competition is fierce this year as school after school continue to post record numbers in this years Grind Out Hunger campaign.  Eying the post of Aptos Jr. High, Empire Academy knew it had its work cut out for them. They put the screws to it and manifested a whopping 8530lbs of food/cash donated to Grind Out Hunger. Empire Academy managed to crush 2008.  KION 46 was on site to film the event and the Santa Cruz Sentinel wrote a nice piece on how this 27 student school managed to raise 300lbs per student…The presentation was awesome, it is moving to see kids rally for their own. Kids helping kids..its what its all about.

Empire Academy presents check to Grind Out Hunger

Grind Out Hunger gladly accepts Empire Academies check

Sinda for Empire Academy getting down on KION

Empire Academy about to go 3-pete!!!

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Second Harvest Food Bank Hunger Fighter Award dinner was awesome and the facilities at the Santa Cruz Elks Lodge were incredible.  I always enjoy going to Second Harvest Food Bank functions, it just makes you feel so good hanging out with everyone. Being that this is the 4th year of Grind Out Hunger which works with local Elementary, Middle and High School kids by motivating them to contribute to the Holiday Food Drive. Grind Out Hunger utilizes the Action Sports channel to encourage the youth to raise the most pound per student at their school for over $1200 in prizes from Santa Cruz Skate Shop. I was able to speak once again on behalf of Grind Out Hunger and announce the winning schools and preach the word against hunger. This years winners went over the top once again and made the Grind Out Hunger program have another successful year. The winners of this years skate deck, trophy and bragging rights are:

Elementary School:  Carden School of Santa Cruz $300 prize

Middle School:  Salesian Junior High School $300 prize

High School: Empire Academy$600 prize

With Generation Next award going to Watsonville High School with a 416% increase over 2007 and Brook Knoll for raising 2683 pounds of food.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter @grindouthunger

and join our Grind Out Hunger Facebook cause page to help us raise money. Below are some pics from the event.

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Ok, so here it is in all its glory. I did think we would have better success this year but it seems that the recession has taken its toll on our program as well (we barely missed last years totals). 2009 we are going to hit the ground running and get things switched back around. I will announce the official winners after the dinner on March 4th at the Elks Lodge. If you see your school on here and want to be a part of our program please email dk@grindouthunger.org for 2009!

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This was the first two weeks of the Grind Out Hunger campaign I do with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz/San Benito Counties. I have to say every time this year I get excited to go see the kids and speak to them about Grind Out Hunger at their elementary/middle and high schools. This weeks engagements included Gateway School, Garden Elementary School, and double session at Del Mar Elementary in addition to the Annual Second Harvest Holiday Kickoff Luncheon.

The above graphic is a skateboard we made to promote the Grind Out Hunger campaign, we sell them for $100 with all proceeds donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank ($1 = $9 worth of food and we sold 50 of these last year) It also doubles as a trophy for the winning schools. I enjoy being able to bring the message to the action sports youth in our area, I feel that if informed kids have the biggest hearts and love a competition. In case you are new to the blog, the structure of the Grind Out Hunger contest consists of three divisions; elementary, middle school and high school. The rules of the contest are the school with the most pounds per student raised will win a gift certificate to Santa Cruz Skate Shop ($300 for elementary and middle schools, while high schools receive $600). 2007 Grind Out Hunger campaign collected 150,000 pounds of food on behalf of the Second Harvest Food Bank. I wonder if last years standouts Aptos High and Empire Academy will rise to the challenge once again and help Grind Out Hunger. Stay tuned as I keep you all up to date with this years initiative.

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Grind Out Hunger is really having an impact on the skateboarders and the youth. As I have already mentioned in previous posts, Grind Out Hunger is setup to challenge area elementary, middle and high schools to raise the most pounds (cash counts $1 = $9 worth of food) per student. 2006 champion Aptos High raised 20,000 pounds and equal to about 14lbs per student and won overall poundage, but it was Empire Academy that stepped it up and managed to wrangle 125 pound per student raising a little over 4600 pounds. Empire Academy got creative and did gift wrapping, bake sales and other out of the box ideas. So Second Harvest brought pizza’s and we went and spoke at Empire Academy to award them with their $600 gift certificate to Santa Cruz Skate Shop and answer any questions. The kids were very humble and stoked to have won the challenge…they also stated that in 2008 they are not only going to win the per pound challenge, but the overall total pounds raised. It looks like Aptos High has something to worry about as Empire Academy is looking to take a title Aptos High has held for three years. 2007 Grind Out Hunger raised 130,000 pounds of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank through the local elementary, middle and high schools. Don’t forget to join the Grind Out Hunger Facebook cause.