In the Battle of Kids vs. Hunger This Week, These Kids Were Winners

Inside a local high school on Thursday afternoon, a group of students and a few community volunteers were saving lives.

They did so wearing hair nets and plastic gloves, standing alongside a table in an assembly line. Their task? To assemble ingredients of a chicken-flavored fortified rice-soy casserole.

But it wasn't exactly a Martha Stewart task. It was mostly about scooping and measuring as they poured ingredients down a funnel into a plastic bag, which they then weighed, sealed and ultimately counted.

The routine wasn't rocket science. In fact, it probably wasn't as hard as the physics class they were missing. But for hungry recipients in Haiti and Guatemala, each bag would mean six healthy, nutrient-rich meals.

We had the opportunity to hang out with members of the Key Club and leaders of the Rochester Kiwanis Club on Thursday while they , a nationwide organization that sends the packaged foods overseas.

We were there as part of Patch's "Give 5 Day," a specific day where Patch gives its editors time off during the day to help out in the community. We were invited by Diane Hoffman, a Rochester Kiwanis member, and Sally Anglim, the Rochester PTA Council President.

We were welcomed by Jiwon Lee, a senior at Stoney Creek and leader of the Key Club, and Larry Goralski, the Stoney Creek principal who shook his head in awe as he watched his students work.

"This generation of kids are the same kids that drive us crazy, you know," Goralski said. "But all it takes is a couple of kids with an initiative, and it makes all you have to deal with as a school administrator worth it."

In the end, we're not sure how much help we were. In fact, at times our cameras and incessant questioning — "Now HOW MANY scoops of dried vegetables do you put in the bag?" — may have been more of a distraction than an assistance.

But we do hope our coverage shows what happens when a group of students decides to make a difference.

Want to host a Kids Against Hunger event? Visit www.KidsAgainstHungerCoalition.com or send an e-mail to Greg Smith, leader of the Utica chapter of Michigan's Kids Against Hunger.