Hey, Dad, is this the coupon you were talking about?
It's the coupon we were talking about at the table.
Exactly.
We're actually collecting donations to help childhood hunger for children in America.
How can I help?
Here's the $3, Max.
Thank you for your donation, and with your donation you get $9 in Denny's coupons, and
you're helping a child who's hungry.
Isn't that great?
Yeah.
Let's go Max.
Come on.
Denny's knows how important it is for kids to get a wholesome meal before they tackle
school.
But surprisingly, not all children have the luxury of eating breakfast.
These images are not of some far away country.
They're of communities right here in our country, and a recent survey found that one out of
every five kids in America, that's 16 million, are living in households that struggle to
put food on the table.
Denny's, America's diner, is leading the cause to change that.
Denny's is in its fourth year partnering with Share our Strengths No Kid Hungry Campaign.
It's a nationwide movement aimed at ending childhood hunger by connecting kids with healthy
foods where they live and they work and they play.
Joining us today for our Be The Change segment to discuss this critical mission is Denny's
President and CEO, John Miller and Debbie Shore, Co-Founder of Share our Strength No
Kid Hungry Campaign.
Welcome to the show.
This is so important.
I'm so glad you all are here.
Thanks.
We're thrilled to be here.
You know, John, those numbers are really mind-blowing, aren't they as we listen to them?
And I know the Federal Government plays a really critical role, but sometimes it's not
enough, and that's where Denny's has taken the lead and stepped in.
No question about it.
We are pleased to be in the role we're in.
We believe we are making a very big difference, and this show will make a difference, too
because raising awareness is part of the issue.
Alright, Debbie, tell us just a little bit off the bat more about the campaign The paradox
around this issue is that there's plenty of food, and plenty of programs, and plenty of
services for hungry kids.
So, there's really no reason for them to be hungry.
So the No Kid Hungry Campaign really focuses on ensuring that all kids have access to healthy
food where they go to school, where they live, and where they play.
Well John, you have almost 1,600 restaurants, and you guys are just perfectly positioned
to really make a huge contribution.
We are.
We love the partnership because it's more than just feeding.
It's also about the systemic issues that come from a lack of food.
So studies have shown that kids who have breakfast learn better, score better on their test,
have a 20% higher likelihood of graduating from high school.
Wow!
And we know that kids who graduate from college are four times more employable than those
who never finished high school.
So, this plays a major role in ending that cycle of poverty in the United States.
Now, I'm not here to pretend that feeding alone can do that, but it plays a major foundational
role.
Oh, I'm sure it does.
And John, earlier we saw a dad and his child.
We saw them at your counter, and they were donating.
Tell us more about how that works.
Well how that works, we have franchisees in this partnership in all 50 states participating
to make sure the most important meal of the day, breakfast, gets served to all the kids.
So, our guests win by coming in to buy a $3 set of coupons.
They get $9 of value back.
Wow.
That's big.
The kids win because millions will have meals and access to meals through summer meal programs,
through Cooking Matters where they can learn nutritional and how to shop at a value and
feed their families, especially those from disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Then, of course, communities win in all 50 states.
Absolutely.
John, now how much did you collect last year and what's your goal this year?
We collected about a million dollars last year.
We bumped it up to a million and 250,000 as our goal for this year.
Give me five on that!
Alright!
We're excited about the good that that can do.
You know, Debbie, obviously Denny's is really serious about this mission, and oftentimes
it really does take a village, right?
And what's amazing about what Denny's is doing is that for each dollar you can connect a
kid to 10 meals.
Right.
So, that's a lot of meals.
Denny's is also setting, I think, a pretty important example for how restaurants and
corporate America can really pitch in.
When you talk about "it takes a village", it really does.
Have we really made progress is feeding America's children?
Well, I certainly think we have.
This number was much higher coming out of the recession, maybe over 20 million kids
without access.
It's down to around 16 million now.
That's way too many, and it has to be a lot lower.
So, clearly, we're proud to be part of this.
We don't plan to end this anytime soon, and we would like to encourage more to participate.
So, come visit a Denny's, go online, make your contribution, and we really encourage
our entire nation to get involved.
We just teamed up with the Department of Education in New York.
Bought a Summer Meals truck, and the first eight weeks of summer we were able to provide
8 million meals - in the first eight weeks.
So, that's really how far those dollars can go.
You can't a healthy nation with hungry kids.
That's right.
So, that's really the focus.
Well thank you both.
John, great seeing you and thank you for coming in the studio today.
Thank you.
Thank you again for having us.
Alright, and to find out how you can help childhood hunger, visit your nearest Denny's
restaurant, or go online at Dennys.com, or our website TheBalancingAct.com.
We'll see you next time.(music).