Rachael Ray's Non-profit Organization Yum-o!

(New York, NY) — Yum-o! and Rachael have teamed up with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to provide nutritious and delicious recipes that are appropriate for school settings. The recipes will be available for free to every school across the country, reaching more than 30 million students. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a nonprofit organization founded by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation working to combat childhood obesity.

In May 2011, Yum-o!'s director Andrew Kaplan was honored to attend a kick-off summit held on the campus of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in San Antonio, TX on behalf of Rachael Ray and Yum-o!. Called Healthy Flavors, Healthy Kids, this two-day gathering of chefs, foodservice directors, child advocates and others launched a national initiative to improve the health of children and young people through food education, culinary strategy and flavor insight.

(Chicago, IL) — In partnership with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! organization is pleased to announce Yum-o!’s 2011 scholarship initiative, which will provide funds to high school students committed to pursuing a career in the restaurant and foodservice industry. 

This summer, Yum-o! will award ten $2,500 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are planning to enroll in a post-secondary foodservice program. Applications will be accepted through August 17, 2011.

With support from Rachael Ray and Yum-o!, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) launched cooking classes last summer in partnership with the Sylvia Center and Children’s Aid Society to help young people develop cooking skills, become conscientious consumers and make healthier food choices. This spring, NYCHA started a new job readiness program with The Sylvia Center specifically for youth ages 14-20 that not only promotes healthy nutrition, but also introduces food service and culinary arts as potential career paths. Yum-o! recently checked in with The Sylvia Center's Director of Education and Learning Strategies Hollie Greene to see how things are going...

A very special thank you to Gerber for their generous donation to Yum-o! in support of the FEED component of our mission to feed hungry kids. Thanks to the overwhelming response from more than 222,000 Yum-o! supporters on Facebook, Gerber was inspired to donate $500,000 to fight hunger and nurture a healthier generation of kids!