Liz Coleman's 24 fourth graders at Estes Hills Elementary in Chapel Hill have gotten very good at stretching a dollar in planning nutritious snacks and meals -- good life lessons for today's economic downturn.

They have also become "hooked on service," having recently seen first-hand the tremendous impact they can have on their community as part of a service-learning project for Global Youth Service Day.

Coleman's class received $1,500 from Youth Service America, funded by State Farm Companies Foundation and the Disney Company, to put toward a service project to help provide food for needy children in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community.

Coleman's students worked in conjunction with a local nonprofit organization called TABLE. The students were responsible for planning, budgeting and shopping for nutritional non-perishable food items, then distributing the food to needy children in the community. The students also spread the word within the community about their work.

TABLE serves 30 children at risk of hunger in the community by filling loaner backpacks with nutritious foods that the children take home from school each Friday. The program ensures the children have nutritious meals during the weekend when they cannot access the school cafeteria breakfast and lunch programs.

The Estes Hills students who helped fill and distribute the backpacks presented their findings on hunger and nutrition during a reception on April 29 at the school.

Kevin Gilland, a fourth-grader, said "it felt good to help the less fortunate."

Fellow student Eva Killenberg agreed. "It was cool that our class is helping out other students in our own town," she said.

Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world that celebrates a year-round effort to expand the impact of the youth service movement. The initiative launches new service organizations, policy changes, and sustainable service programs to create a culture of engaged youth.

"I am thrilled to offer such a unique opportunity for students and our community about the difference we can make in the lives of others," Coleman said. "It is hard to sometimes believe that as fortunate as we are, there are many who survive on much less. It is my hope that engaging children and youth as young as 9 and 10 in service learning will lead to future altruistic action and the spread of a powerful message within our community."

IF YOU WANT TO HELP

TABLE is a non-profit organization that brings college students and community volunteers together to help feed hungry children in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. Food donations and new and "gently used" backpacks may dropped off at TABLE, 205 W. Weaver St., Carrboro.

Please give advance notice for large donations and make sure food donations are not expired. Essential non-perishable food needs include: cans of meat, canned vegetables, canned fruit, juice boxes, packets of breakfast food, snack packs, and packaged noodles. For information, call 636-4860 or see www.tablenc.org.