Hunger Hits Home Documentary

Food Network and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® Campaign have teamed up on a new documentary, Hunger Hits Home. The film takes a first-hand look at the crisis of childhood hunger in America through the eyes of the parents, children and others on the frontlines of the battle. It powerfully shows the impact hunger has on a child and provides an urgent call to action.

Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! Organization Shares Its Strength

Yum-o!’s Director, Andrew Kaplan, reflects on what inspired Yum-o! to get involved with helping kids gain access to school breakfasts on Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry blog…

Rachael Ray Joins First Lady Obama and Parklawn Elementary School Students for a Yum-o! Lunch

(Alexandria, VA) — Rachael Ray joined First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass at Parklawn Elementary School in Alexandria, VA for a Yum-o! school lunch with the students, as First Lady Obama and Secretary Vilsack announced new standards for school meals that will result in healthier meals for kids across the nation.

Rachael Ray and Yum-o! Fight Childhood Hunger in the Classroom with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® Campaign

(New York, NY) — To help combat hunger in the classroom, Rachael Ray and her Yum-o!® organization are teaming up with Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® Campaign, a national movement to end childhood hunger in America. In addition to raising awareness about the issue, Yum-o! is donating $100,000 to support Share Our Strength’s work to increase participation in school breakfast programs.

Announcing the 2011 Yum-o! Scholarship Winners!

The FUND component of Yum-o!’s mission helps kids reach their food-related career goals by funding culinary school scholarships. Yum-o! is pleased to announce this year’s ten scholarship winners, who will each receive $2,500 scholarships to pursue their culinary education.

Yum-o! and Feeding America Team Up to Give A Meal to Hungry Families

(Chicago, IL) — Instead of another tie or bathrobe, give your friends and loved ones a chance to help Feeding America feed people facing hunger this holiday season and throughout the year.  

Give A Meal, gives holiday shoppers a chance to support a great cause by helping provide food to the nearly 49 million Americans who struggle with hunger. Every $1 donated to the Give a Meal campaign helps provide eight meals to people in need…

Chicago Public Schools Celebrate National School Lunch Week with Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! Windy City Chicken

(Chicago, IL) — On October 12, 2011, Chicago Public School students will enjoy a special meal: Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! Windy City Chicken. In celebration of National School Lunch Week, October 10-14, Rachael Ray and her Yum-o! organization, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Chartwells-Thompson and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), have teamed up to develop this great tasting meal for Chicago students.

Yum-o! Teams with Alliance for a Healthier Generation to Provide Healthy and Delicious Recipes for School Cafeterias Across the Country

(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.

Yum-o! Director Attends Healthy Flavors, Healthy Kids Kick-off Summit

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.

Yum-o! and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) Announce 2011 Scholarships

(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.

New York City Housing Authority Vocational Cooking Classes for Teens

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…

Special thanks to Gerber!

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!

Yum-o! Auctions! Bid to Win Rach’s DWTS Dress and Support Yum-o!

After two weeks of feuding, Rachael accepted the challenge from Dancing with the Stars costume designer, Randall Christensen, to wear a one-of-a-kind dress that he created just for her! On Thursday, February 3rd, Rach faced one of her greatest fears, dropped the robe and danced the salsa in this stunning red beaded dress. Now, thanks to our friends at Charity Folks, you can bid to win this one-of-a-kind dress…

Announcing the 2010 Yum-o! Scholarship Winners!

The FUND component of Yum-o!’s mission helps kids reach their food-related career goals by funding culinary school scholarships. Patrick Ruffolo, Drew Nochta, Kaitlin Hale and Haley Allison join an additional ten students at Frankford High School in Philadelphia, PA, who received their awards earlier this year, in receiving this year’s Yum-o! Scholarships.

Let’s Get America’s Kids Eating Healthy: Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Signed into Law

As profiled in the September 2010 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray, over the past year, Rachael and the Yum-o! team met with Congressional representatives in Washington, DC, wrote letters, made phone calls and held press events to raise awareness about the Child Nutrition Act. On Monday, December 13, 2010, President Barack Obama signed S. 3307, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, into law.