"For many students, the meals they receive at school are all they have to eat all day," according to Joseph M. Stewart, who carried his passion for school nutrition programs into the executive suite at Kellogg Company.

"Kellogg's has a strong reputation as a family-oriented company," Stewart said of his decision to join the company in 1980. Whether financing a study on child nutrition in Bogalusa, La., or supporting the School Food Service Foundation's work, Stewart found ways to bring Kellogg's corporate muscle to the table.

When Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first freely elected president, identified education as a cornerstone for creating economic parity, Stewart saw another opportunity. "Hopefully with a nutritious breakfast to start their day, we can help the children of South Africa's townships go to school ready to learn."

Back to 1997