Bellarmine Prep COFIA Club holds pizza sale to benefit meals program in Uganda

March 28, 2015Undernutrition is widespread in Uganda, with 38% of children chronically undernourished or stunted, and that percentage is probably higher at St. Jude Primary School in Rubongi, Uganda, due to the extreme poverty of the region. Add to that to the fact that an average Ugandan lives on less than $1.25 a day, and it easy to see why school provided lunches are an essential part of successful student learning for students living in Eastern Uganda.

Knowing the facts and stats, the Bellarmine Prep Cofia Club decided to be a catalyst for change. Why not have a pizza sale to benefit the school meals program at St. Jude, the Bellarmine students thought. American kids like pizza, fact. If just one slice of pie funds two school lunches while at the same time calling attention to the hunger issues in developing nations like Uganda, sounds like pizza has purpose.

Within minutes at the end of a spring school day, hundreds of slices of pizza were sold from a lunch table carried out from the cafeteria and placed in the middle of the school courtyard. Signs for the pizza sale were duct-taped to opened pizza boxes and placed above and behind the COFIA Club student on the brick school house wall behind them. It was simple; pizza, kids, fun, and doing good. And it wasn’t just the pizza lovers that supported the efforts to support school meals at St. Judes. Many students heading off to sports practices after school stopped by and upon learning about the children in Rubongi, without thinking twice, pulled out the spare change in their pockets and placed their donation in the hands of COFIA Club student volunteers. “One student even gave us a twenty dollar bill!” said Bellarmine Prep COFIA Club President, Will Ammann.

Only one in six children in the poorest countries receive a daily meal at school. COFIA is committed to educating the whole child, and recognizes that improving the wellness of a school-aged child translates into a better and more successful learner. Funds raised by Bellarmine Prep’s COFIA Club “Pizza with Purpose” fundraiser directly makes a positive impact on children, and community, who can sometimes go for days without a meal.

Nice job BPS COFIA Club! We love your enthusiasm and leadership.