One out of every five children goes to bed each night in the United States without having had enough to eat that day. Yes, you read that correctly. One in five kids in America are hungry.
How can that be? When we watch the news, we’re constantly hearing about the country’s obesity problem. In a nation where so many people are vocal about watching their weight, there’s also the opposite end of the spectrum, those who don’t have enough to eat. The difference though is that while people seem comfortable discussing their efforts to shed pounds, those without enough food are often silent, embarrassed by their situation.
For the last seven years Coronado’s resident professional chef Melissa d’Arabian has joined her fellow Food Network peers in raising money for a national non-profit organization called Share Our Strength, working specifically for the organization’s campaign called No Kid Hungry. No Kid Hungry’s motto is “Our communities are only strong when every family is strong.” According to Melissa, No Kid Hungry’s goal is “to end childhood hunger.”
It’s easy to see why a mother of four who’s a professional chef would want to end childhood hunger, but it’s not just the obvious reasons that have made her such a staunch supporter of No Kid Hungry. Melissa knows firsthand what it feels like for those kids who go to bed hungry each night because when she was a child, she was one of those kids.
“Hunger is truly silent. You can have no idea. There can be people next to you who are hungry, and we just don’t even know it,” Melissa says. “When I was little, I didn’t know that I was being undernourished at home. My mom was a single mom putting herself through college, and then eventually medical school. I remember as a child I was in charge of packing my own lunch, and I remember sometimes I would just have an apple, or I would have half a sandwich, not a full lunch.”
On the days when she would forget to bring lunch, Melissa would get a free lunch, and the school would send home an I.O.U. She says that she purposely started to “forget” her lunch just so she could have a warm meal that filled her tummy. “The days that I ‘forgot’ lunch, were the days I ate the best,” she recalls. “I learned to do that at an early age, and, of course, none of those I.O.U.s ever got to my mom.”
It was a kindhearted receptionist in the principal’s office who Melissa credits with “reading between the lines,” and understanding Melissa’s situation. When Melissa was called into the principal’s office, she was certain she was about to be reprimanded for not reimbursing the school for any of her free lunches, but instead she was asked if she would like to participate in a work program.
The work program required Melissa to serve lunch to her fellow students, and, in turn, she was given a free lunch while her classmates were at recess. Melissa ate a free hot lunch everyday, and no longer had to worry about burdening her mother with the I.O.U.s. “I remember this woman took the time out not to yell at me, but to connect with me and find a solution.” Melissa no longer needed to feel embarrassed that she needed help fighting hunger, and was able to go to bed at night without feeling hungry.
“The idea of being able to put hot lunches in the bellies of our nation’s hungry has always stuck with me,” she says. “As somebody who’s been both hungry in the classroom and not hungry in the classroom, I can tell you that you learn more when you’re not hungry.” Melissa knows that everyone agrees how important education is for our nation’s youth, but is concerned because the emphasis is on testing students, Common Core, and assessing teachers’ efficacy rather than first ensuring that students have enough to eat. She passionately asserts, “If we don’t have the basic fuel to feed our bodies, we can’t feed our minds. If we believe in education, then we have to believe in feeding our children. We have to! One in five is a lot. Twenty percent! That is a lot!”
“If I’m going to work in the food industry,” she continues, “then I believe I have a responsibility to make sure that everyone has food, not just people with the Food Network. If I’m going to be a mom, then I think all kids need to eat, not just my kids. If I’m going to be a citizen of the United States, which I am, I have a responsibility to make sure that our children are all fed. It’s an investment in our future. As a former child who didn’t always have food plentifully, I think that it’s my job to give back, and be part of the solution as we go forward.”
Melissa has been involved in No Kid Hungry in a number of capacities over the past seven years. She’s hosted their Taste of the Nation events, actively participated in Dine Out for No Kid Hungry, and has done multiple fundraisers, awareness promotions, and satellite media tours with the founders of Share Our Strength, Bill Shore and his sister Debbie Shore. She shares, “Every year we decide as a family unit what are we going to put our energy toward, and what are we going to support. No Kid Hungry is always at the top of that list.”
Melissa continues, “Last year was the inaugural No Kid Hungry Chefs Cycle event.” She recalls how she was approached by Debbie Shore, who created this event. When asked to join the Chefs Cycle, Melissa’s response was, “I don’t know anything about cycling, but I’m in! We’ll figure it out!”
There were two Chefs Cycle events last year, one on the east coast and one on the west coast. Melissa joined fellow chefs in the inaugural west coast ride. “It was hard. I was the only one really who wasn’t a great cyclist. I actually only rode 100 miles of it, which was still long and tiring, but it was still amazing, and the awareness that came from it was fantastic!”
At the end of last year’s event, which finished up in San Diego, Melissa enthusiastically agreed to do it again this year. She even made a resolution to complete all 300 miles of this year’s event, and train hard for it. The only problem, however, was that the dates of this year’s event, June 27-29, 2016, coincide with her daughter Valentine’s national dance competition.
That’s where Melissa’s husband Philippe stepped in, or, more accurately, pedaled in to help keep Melissa’s promise that the d’Arabian family would still be participating in this year’s Chefs Cycle. Melissa explains how upon discovering the conflict in dates between the Chefs Cycle event and the national dance competition, she thought, “What are we going to do? It has to be the woman who goes because it’s the mothers who need to be backstage.” Philippe chimes in as he laughs, “Men are not allowed.”
Melissa certainly didn’t want Valentine, who’s part of a dance team, to miss her dance competition and let her team down, but felt “conflicted” because Melissa herself wanted to be at the Chefs Cycle event. She says she didn’t know how to choose because “both events are so important to me.”
Philippe, who isn’t a chef and was never into cycling, had the perfect solution, and suggested to Melissa, “What if you send me to Chefs Cycle?” Melissa contacted Debbie Shore to see what she thought, and, according to Melissa, Debbie’s response was, “I love it! Let’s do it!”
Prior to signing up for Chefs Cycle, Philippe, like many Coronado residents, rode a Beach Cruiser, a bike for getting around town rather than for hardcore cycling. To prepare for Chefs Cycle, he bought a competitive cycle that could handle a 300 mile journey, and then began his training.
Melissa’s admiration for her husband is obvious, and she says, “He’s actually better at this [cycling] than I was.” She continues complimenting him, saying, “He’s got the bike. He gets it tuned it up. He is in it! I was, ‘Let’s do this enough just to get through this,’ but he’s become a real cyclist. He’s really taking this seriously!” Even though Philippe is the one who’s doing the cycling this year, it’s apparent that this is still a team effort for the d’Arabian family.
Philippe, who works for Microsoft managing the global relations between Microsoft and Facebook, will be the only person who’s not a celebrity chef or restaurateur participating in this year’s Chefs Cycle. “I am not at all part of the food world,” he admits with a smile. Melissa laughs, and says she’s been teasing Philippe that after he cycles for three days he’s going to have more connections with food celebrities than she ever will. Last year there were about 25 chefs participating, but this year there are about 200 chefs and restaurant industry professionals participating, including Jason Roberts, Cat Kora, Duff Goldman, the Voltaggio brothers (Michael and Bryan), Allan Ng, and Mary Sue Milliken to name a few.
Philippe explains that while the three day event will indeed be fun and challenging, the ultimate goal of the event is to raise a total of one million dollars for No Kid Hungry. “We each have to raise $7,500,” he says. He’s been raising money via his Facebook page, and has had multiple friends donate to his worthy cause already.
Determined to raise even more money, Philippe reached out to a couple of local Coronado companies, including the Hotel del Coronado. The Hotel del Coronado generously agreed to be his main major sponsor. Melissa adds, “They [Hotel del Coronado] know No Kid Hungry. They’ve held events there.”
Melissa says, “People support Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry because we can all agree that childhood hunger is an important issue. Who is best to do that? It is No Kid Hungry and Share Our Strength. Their power is in their relationships; No Kid Hungry has a number of partner food banks so their reach is much broader than just what they do, and they’re also connected with Feeding America. Their strength is in their partnerships and in their policy advocacy. I’ve gone with them [No Kid Hungry] to Capitol Hill to meet with senators and congressmen about policy that is going to influence Congress and help the children get fed.”
When people donate just one dollar to No Kid Hungry, that singular dollar results in ten meals for a hungry child. “They can leverage every dollar so beautifully and so well, and they’re very efficient and run very well,” Melissa says of No Kid Hungry. “I feel really good about every dollar I give them. I know that they’re making it work.” Philippe adds, “They’re doing a great job.”
Philippe is still looking for additional sponsors, which is how the residents of Coronado can help No Kid Hungry Chefs Cycle. If anyone is interested in helping to sponsor his three day ride from Carmel to Santa Barbara, click here, or visit http://nkh.chefscycle.org/supportachef/Fundraising/individual/Philippe-dArabian.
Is Philippe nervous about riding 300 miles in just three days? He answers, “No, I love it! I love sports in general so this is just giving me an opportunity to do a new sport. I’ve always wondered how hard it is to bike. It is hard. I have a good friend on the island who trains with me, and does challenges with me. We went together this morning, and did 15 miles, but we burned 750 calories in an hour. I’m thinking, ‘This is good!’ You come back, and your legs hurt, your butt hurts, and you’re tired. Am I afraid to ride 100 miles every day for three days? Here’s what it comes down to: Can I do it? Oh, yeah! Can I do it super well? I don’t want to do it just to do it; I want to excel. I’m competitive.”
Philippe has been training with two rides of fifteen to twenty miles during the week, and then a longer ride of 60 miles or more on the weekend. “I’m liking it,” he says with a smile. He then casually discusses his longer rides as if they’re easy, saying, “I leave from here, go all the way around the bay, then down the Strand and over to National City, Chula Vista, Mission Beach, and to the top of Mount Soledad, and then back.” Melissa marvels, “I would be training just to survive; he wants to be part of that core group that’s in the front.” Philippe chuckles as he agrees with his bride.
“I’m not afraid; I’m more excited,” he surmises. “It’s going to be super fun. It’s a great group. They like to eat. They like to have fun. It’s going to be a great combination of raising funds for a fantastic cause, learning a new sport where I burn 5,000 calories a day for three days, and I’m sure we’re going to have fantastic food. The chef community is a fun community. They’re very generous, and they work so hard.” Melissa adds, “Chefs feel really strongly about feeding people because that’s what they do, and that’s their language.” Philippe says, “There’s some trash talking too,” laughing as he mentions, “I need to be part of that.”
Both Philippe and Melissa want people to know that no donation made to Philippe’s cycling journey is too small. “If everyone donated $5.00, it would be amazing,” Melissa exclaims. A donation of just $5.00 purchases 50 meals for a hungry child! While they certainly welcome large donations, they are also just as appreciative of small donations. “Everyone has to give in a way that feels comfortable for them,” Melissa says.
With less than two months until the three day event, Philippe still has more training to do, as well as more fundraising. Philippe’s company Microsoft matches every hour of time Philippe donates to a non-profit organization with a donation of $17, and Microsoft will be matching ten hours a day of Philippe’s three day cycling journey by donating to No Kid Hungry. $170 a day donated by Microsoft will buy 5,100 meals for hungry children!
Last year Melissa’s goal was to raise $10,000. She met that goal, and then during her one day ride, she posted about it on social media, and more donations followed, adding a thousand dollars more. (Philippe has admitted to having a competitive nature, and it’s fair to say that he would be excited to surpass his wife’s fundraising total from last year.)
Philippe says, “There are so many causes that you want to support. You need to find one that is close to your heart. We have four kids, and I cannot imagine going to bed every night knowing my kids are hungry.” This is why he is crazy enough to take on this challenge, and why he is hopeful that the people of Coronado will help ensure that no kid is hungry by donating to his non-profit fundraising.
Additional Information:
Melissa d’Arabian featured in the promotional video for Chefs Cycle. (Courtesy of No Kid Hungry)
