April 6, 2011 — Thanks to University of Virginia students, 10,944 bowls of cereal were donated to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank as part of Kellogg's Food Away From Home Program.

U.Va. Dining Services and Kellogg's recently teamed up to help fight hunger in Charlottesville. During the month of February, bowls of Kellogg's cereal eaten by students in residential dining halls were matched bowl-to-bowl with a donation to the food bank.

"We knew the students would embrace this program, but it exceeded our expectations," said Brent Beringer, director of U.Va. Dining Services. "A lot of cereal was consumed in the Observatory Hill, Runk and Newcomb dining rooms to make this possible!"

The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank chose to receive its cereal donation, approximately 1,900 pounds, in the form of single-bowl pack cereals to use for its Back Pack program, which provides weekend meals to children.

"Every little bit helps and surely this donation by Kellogg and the efforts of the University of Virginia students are having a direct impact on our community," said Lawrence M. Zippin, chief executive officer of the Blue Ridge Food Bank.