Here's a stat that should stop every foodservice buyer and product developer in their tracks: U.S. children eat 2.7 daily servings of healthy plant-based foods before age 2 — then that number drops to just 1.8 servings from ages 2 to 19, according to a 2026 Tufts University analysis. The healthy habits are there at the start. Somewhere along the way, the industry and the culture around food loses them.
That gap is exactly what Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics and Agriculture (WANDA) is trying to close with its newly launched Give 8/28 campaign, themed "Nourish the Next Generation of Healthy Eaters, Readers, and Leaders." Announced August 4, 2026, from Washington, the campaign marks WANDA's 10th anniversary and invites donors to become "Founding Gardeners" helping women and girls bloom from farm to health.
What Give 8/28 Is Funding
Give 8/28 is the national day of giving for Black-led nonprofits during Black Philanthropy Month. WANDA is aiming to raise $28,000 by August 28 to power two programs:
- WANDA's World — a digital children's wellbeing edutainment platform led by the character Little WANDA, designed to help kids build a positive relationship with food early.
- WANDA Scholars — scholarship, mentorship, and leadership opportunities for those pursuing careers across nutrition, agriculture, and food systems.
To date, WANDA has supported 34 women in the United States and Nigeria through its education and leadership pathways.
The Representation Gap in Food and Agriculture
The case for the campaign runs deeper than childhood nutrition. Two numbers from the source frame a persistent pipeline problem across the food and beverage industry:
- Black producers accounted for just 1.4% of the nation's 3.4 million agricultural producers in the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
- Black registered dietitians make up 2.6% of the field.
For an industry that increasingly markets to diverse consumers and sources from an increasingly global supply chain, that lack of representation among producers and nutrition professionals is both a workforce challenge and a missed opportunity.
"WANDA believes every child deserves to have positive role models like Little WANDA to become healthy eaters, readers, and leaders. Every mother deserves the nourishment, knowledge, and community support to help her family flourish. Give 8/28 is an opportunity to invest in women-led solutions that feed more than bodies. We nourish futures," said Tambra Raye Stevenson, founder and CEO of WANDA.
Why It Matters
For food, beverage, and hospitality operators, this is more than a feel-good donation opportunity — it's a strategic touchpoint. The talent shortage across foodservice, culinary, agriculture, and clinical nutrition is real, and programs like WANDA Scholars are actively cultivating the next crop of chefs, farmers, researchers, and registered dietitians. Supporting that pipeline is workforce development, not just charity.
There's also a consumer-trust dimension. Brands and operators that invest visibly in early childhood nutrition and in diversifying the food-system workforce align themselves with the better-for-you and community-impact values that increasingly drive purchasing decisions. Here's how the industry can plug in:
- Donate or launch a peer fundraiser through the campaign page before August 28.
- Activate employer gift-matching — WANDA specifically encourages donors to ask employers to match, an easy CSR win for any operator.
- Treat the pipeline as recruiting — connecting with programs building diverse nutrition and agriculture talent pays dividends downstream.
Supporters can donate, share the campaign, or create a peer fundraiser at give828.org/story/iamwanda.
Want more on how food brands are turning purpose into impact? See how PMI Foods marked America's 250th with a premium protein donation and why food insecurity now touches every U.S. county — and what it means for foodservice.
Is your company backing the next generation of food-system leaders? Share how your team is getting involved in the comments.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
