The Campbell Reporter

News

Skip lunch and donate $10 to Second Harvest to stop hunger

ByAlicia Upano

Second Harvest Food Bank is inviting people to help feed the hungry on June 8 without lifting a finger or a fork.

The Willow Glen-based food bank is launching its first "Change the Face of Hunger, Skip Lunch" event that was inspired by a similar program in New York. The event coincides with National Hunger Awareness week and encourages individuals and corporations to skip lunch and instead donate their lunch money to the food bank. A $10 donation could feed 20 of the 156,000 individuals served by Second Harvest each month.

The food bank hopes to raise $100,000 to help put a dent in hunger suffered by low-income children, adults and seniors, Second Harvest spokeswoman Lynn Crocker said. The event also allows donors to empathize with the hungry, who frequently have to work undernourished.

"A lot of the people we serve are working adults," Crocker says. "Skip lunch that day and try to go to a 3 o'clock meeting, and see how you concentrate."

Along with lack of focus, hunger can lead to irritability, confusion and distraction, Crocker said.

The Skip Lunch campaign is getting the word out through Campbell-based ZURB. The three-person company is a customer interaction firm that has helped 50 start-up businesses with issues from problem-solving to marketing.

ZURB founder Bryan Zmijewski was looking to donate 24 hours of "ZURBian" time to a nonprofit group that could benefit from its services. The project, called ZURBwired, received numerous applications. The company selected Second Harvest because of its mission, its ability to carry out the campaign and the upbeat personalities of its six-person staff.

"They were excited, motivated and pretty light-hearted about the whole thing," Zmijewski said. "If you're going to work 24 hours, you make sure you have a team that will work together and not want to kill each other."

For Second Harvest, being selected for ZURBwired made a big difference, Crocker said. The food bank wanted to launch the event, but had no money in its budget to make it happen.

ZURB donated its services and completed the task in 24 hours. The project would typically cost $35,000 and have taken three weeks, Crocker said, but ZURB accomplished it within a day.

The 24-hour day began at 8 a.m. on May 4 at ZURB. Second Harvest and ZURB began brainstorming on the campaign's creative direction and within hours came up with name, "Change the Face of Hunger, Skip Lunch." By 11 a.m., the organizations had secured iskippedlunch.com as the campaign website. In the next hours, they had stickers and T-shirts printed, press releases written and 20,000 emails sent. Local companies that participated include maven communications, Zazzle, Village Printers and Pivotal Software.

"It was fun," Zmijewski said. "I think the toughest part was around 4 or 5 a.m. when the steam was running low. People were taking naps on the floor."

But the work paid off, with momentum continuing on the Skip Lunch campaign. Numerous corporations have already signed on, including Adobe Systems, Lockheed Martin and QP Semiconductor. Their employees are planning to skip lunch and contribute their $10 to fight hunger.

To participate in the Change the Face of Hunger, Skip Lunch campaign, visit www.iskippedlunch.com or call Second Harvest Food Bank at 866.234.3663.