Irving School in Derby, Beyond Differences kick off No One Eats Alone Day

DERBY- Lunch can be the longest part of the school day for some youth who feel alone and socially isolated at their school.

Irving School and Beyond Differences announces the launch of No One Eats Alone Day at Irving School at 2 p.m. Feb. 10.

With social isolation and bullying now seen as chronic problems in our schools, this initiative will seek to reverse these trends by asking students to engage in a simple act of kindness at lunch – making sure that no one is eating alone.

“Today we are holding No One Eats Alone Day here at Irving School,” said Principal Jennifer Olson. 

“Our third, fourth, and fifth graders will learn about social isolation, and during their lunch they will do activities to encourage students to sit with others and engage in conversation. Students will see the 'Be the One' video from Beyond Differences. I want to thank Beyond Differences and their partners for their tireless efforts to tackle an issue which has been ignored for too long.”


Beyond Differences is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending social isolation in schools across the country.

“We believe that No One Eats Alone Day will be a game changer for Derby children," said Beyond Differences President Laura Talmus.

“A student being isolated at lunch signals the beginning of many problems which have come to plague our schools – with the most shocking examples being bullying and violence," she said.

"We want to reverse these frightening trends by asking students to engage in a simple act of kindness at lunch – making sure that no one is eating alone. Beyond Differences is proud to announce the No One Eats Alone Initiative.”


This is a press release from Derby Public Schools.