Joseph V. Labolito

Freshmen Lauren Edmudes and Wasay Khan share a bowl of cereal with Kellogg's mascot Tony the Tiger, who was on campus to promote a month-long event to help end hunger. For every bowl of cereal a student eats in the dining center, Kellogg’s will donate a bowl to Philabundance.

Students who visited the Louis J. Esposito Dining Center in Johnson and Hardwick Hall Monday morning came face-to-face with a live tiger — in the form of Kellogg’s cartoon mascot Tony the Tiger.

Tony was on campus to help kick-off  a month-long event sponsored by Kellogg’s Food Away from Home and Feeding America titled “Eat. Share. Prosper.” For every bowl of Kellogg’s cereal a student eats in the dining center, Kellogg’s will donate a bowl to Philabundance, a non-profit food bank and serves the Greater Philadelphia area. 

“This was a no-brainer,” said Sodexo Marketing Director Andrew Lebo. “We serve cereal everyday — why not do a good thing with it?” 

Lebo stresses that participating in the event is a no-brainer for students, too. 

“They don’t have to do anything extra,” he said. “They get a bowl of their favorite cereal and they know that with that bowl, somebody else gets a bowl of cereal, too”

According to Feeding America, 22 percent of Philadelphia residents face hunger every day. “Anything we can do to make the percent less, we are all about doing,” said Lebo.

When the event ends Oct. 10, Sodexo will calculate how much cereal was eaten and determine how much will be donated to Philabundance.