Social Entrepreneurs are solution makers in our midst.
They are simply people who encounter a human or environmental problem, see a path to solution, and decide that it matters so much that they can’t walk away from it. They become committed to the pursuit of solution.
On the quest to solve the need for food in our community, I found solutions from social entrepreneurs in Kentucky, Georgia, Kansas, and Florida. I happened to teach at a local college and created a first-year seminar, “Service Learning: The Human Spirit in Action.” Over a period of two years, we created a service learning project, Food2Share. Our local Salvation Army food bank gave us monthly donation statistics.
Community Responses
This program puts a face on food insecurity that a centralized system can’t There are more relationships.
Rural Health Network, director
There is so much food waste. I’ve seen it for years and it’s always upset me. It’s a relief to know the food is not going in the garbage.
Lunch aide monitor
I think Food2Share should be in schools all around the U.S. I hope that after you read this you will be raising food with the Food2Share program.
Fifth grade student reflection
Food2Share prompted teachers to ask for more service learning projects. Students were eager to engage in academic work related to real-life problem solving. Non profit staff appreciated the opportunity to work directly with teachers and students on community needs. The idea of community expanded as we placed our children at the helm of our problem-solving.
All social entrepreneurs seek replication of their work and this initiative was a way to gather their projects into topic areas and align them with a foundation of service in education. Starting at the beginning – in kindergarten – would create a solid foundation for service learning.
The blossoming in our schools not only inspired replication; this process and model could easily disperse and seed across our communities nationwide to grow into a rich, unified whole. With a global component the worldwide extension of working together with solution models.
Our children – the next generation – deserve this opportunity. We can begin now – no permission is needed. Service learning is simply a way to teach, an option. With a simple organizational structure we can align nationally to combine outcomes into national statistics.
Let’s give our youth the opportunity to engage, to create solution in their communities and actually build a better world. With schools at the center of our communities, we can create a momentum that reminds us it’s possible to solve problems, sustain solutions and evolve as we grow together.
A National Service Initiative - Starting in Kindergarten 