No One Eats Alone Day is observed annually on the third Friday of February, which will occur on February 17 this year. The day is an initiative of the non-profit organisation Beyond Differences. Several Northern California schools initiated the inaugural event in 2012 in an effort to promote unity and reduce social and ethnic differences. The goal of introducing No One Eats Alone Day is to encourage students to overcome any and all social differences. It encourages students to sit at the lunch table together and eat while telling jokes and engaging in other typical student activities.
HISTORY OF NO ONE EATS ALONE DAY
Beyond Differences is a social welfare and non-profit organisation with the mission of motivating young people to end social isolation. In honour of Lili Rachel Smith, who suffered from a facial deformity and was socially isolated at school, this doll was designed. Although she was not bullied or harassed, what she endured was not worse than any attempt to bully her; she was treated as invisible.
In 2009, she died in her sleep at the age of 15 years old. After her passing, her family founded a social worker organisation with the sole mission of ending social isolation and introducing an atmosphere of social inclusion among youth by overcoming social differences. With this mission, No One Eats Alone Day emerged as a leading initiative to encourage students to sit and eat together in schools; no student should be left to eat alone. The inaugural celebration of this day was held in a few Northern California schools in 2012, but despite the low turnout, the initiative gained widespread recognition. Within the following three years, fifty percent of schools in the United States observed the day when students and faculty signed up for it and celebrated it with the proper spirit.
One million students celebrated this day in over 2,300 schools across the United States in 2018, making it the most successful year ever. On No One Eats Alone Day, all fifty states participated in the celebrations and ensured that no one ate alone. The efforts and initiative continue to inspire and work diligently to ensure that all forms of social isolation are eradicated worldwide.
National Cabbage Day 2023: Date, History, Amusing Facts
Five essential facts about social isolation
22% of Americans feel lonely
More than one-fifth of American adults experience loneliness and social isolation.
Early mortality among social isolation victims
According to the CDC, those who suffer from social isolation are more likely to develop fatal heart diseases.
One-fifth of millennials have no friends.
Recent research indicates that one in five millennials have no friends whatsoever.
School friendships are more enduring.
Years of research have shown that the most intimate and enduring friendships typically begin in school.
A disorder that leads to social isolation
The inspiration for the organization’s No One Eats Alone Day initiative was a girl named Lili who suffered from Apert Syndrome.
NO ONE EATS ALONE DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | February 18 | Friday |
| 2023 | February 17 | Friday |
| 2024 | February 16 | Friday |
| 2025 | February 21 | Friday |
| 2026 | February 20 | Friday |
