This is a sponsored post in partnership with Stiletto Media Blogger Network. However I believe that Toyota’s #MealsPerHour Program is a great initiative and I encourage you to support it and believe they it is a great example of how small changes can make a great positive impact. All opinions are my own.
Hurricane Sandy was one of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes, as well as the second-costliest hurricane in United States history. Nicknamed Superstorm Sandy because of it’s incredible size, Sandy is the largest Atlantic hurricane on record. In it’s aftermath many people where displaced and needed help.
Toyota partnered with Food Bank For New York City to bring food to the areas that were impacted. The program called Meals Per Hour gave the Toyota Production System Support Center (TSSC) the task to increase the amount of meal boxes being given out and boy did they achieve this! By making small changes the Toyota team reformed their process so they could serve more people by making small changes that made the process more efficient and improved productivity, something done in the Toyota production System all the time. The Toyota team was able to increase the number of emergency meal boxes from 25 to 450 per hour, providing 250,000 meals in the process, and proving that small changes can have a huge impact!
On of the most important things for me is to keep Spanish alive at home. I want my children to be bilingual and so that they can are able to take advantage of all the benefits of bilingualism. Even though both my husband and I speak Spanish we quickly realized that this was not an easy task. Everything around our children is “in English”: school, homework, TV, games, play dates, etc. We soon realized that they were not getting as much exposure to Spanish as they needed. Through small changes in our every day life we are increasing the amount of time my kids spend hearing, speaking and reading in Spanish and that is making a big difference. Here are some or the things we have done:
- Spanish in the car: we take advantage of any opportunity where we have the kids as a captive audience and the car is the perfect place so in the car we only speak Spanish and listen to music in Spanish.
- Spanish at bedtime: we have incorporated Spanish into our bedtime routine. Before the kids go to bed we sing a couple of songs in Spanish together and read books in Spanish.
- Making time to sing and dance: we have found that music is a really strong motivator for getting our kids excited about talking, or should I say singing, in Spanish. My little guys who struggles with speaking in Spanish has no trouble singing along to his favorite songs in Spanish.
- Using technology: like all children their age, my kids are attracted to technology so I have found some great apps in Spanish. We have also downloaded interactive stories on our Kindle. One of the great advantages of apps is that we can use them anyway and they keep the kids busy while waiting at a doctor’s office or riding in the shopping cart in the supermarket.
Sometimes it is hard to find time for everything we need to do, for me it is very important to give my children the best opportunities to succeed in life and I know being bilingual will open many doors for them as it has for me.
You can achieve many things just by making small changes. Many of us would like to help more but feel we don’t have the time but there are small things we can do that have a big impact. Watch Supermarché documentary to see what changes Toyota made and why these changes matter and you will not only be inspired but you will also be helping!! Toyota has decided to donate one meal for every view that this video gets up to a million, between June 20th and July 19th. So, all you have to do is watch the video and share it and you will be helping too!
Disclosure: This post was written as part of my sponsored partnership with the Stiletto Media Blogger Network. However all opinions are my own. #MealsPerHour. This post is also participating for a chance to win a $150 gift card on Latina On a Mission, see the giveaway and participate HERE.
Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .
When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.
- Guatemalan Dulce de Chilacayote Recipe (Crystalized Chilacayote Candy) - February 26, 2024
- Guatemalan Naranjas en Miel Recipe (Candied Oranges Recipe) - February 25, 2024
- Traditional Guatemalan Candy - February 25, 2024
I love when big companies do care
He compartido el video, porque me parece una iniciativa muy linda.
Gracias Natalia!
I love programs like this one. Thanks so much for sharing
Excelent Project … Es bueno ver que podemos ayudar!
Aporte mi granito de arena, muy buena causa!
Keeping the Spanish at home sometimes it’s hard too. Singing is something we do too!.. Music helps to remember!..
Great campaign!
Que linda causa y que bueno que podamos ayudar, muchas gracias por la conocer esto y la oportunidad de contribuir
Muy buena iniciativa! Muchas Gracias por la información!
¡FELIZ DÍA!ॐ
http://mamaholistica.com
Si, a veces hasta lo mas sencillo puede hacer ka diferencia.
This is such an important initiative and I love that it is helping my neighbors right here in New York City. I hope everyone watches the video to get as many meals as possible donated.
Wow! This is awesome! I love when business’s and big companies give back, especially in the face of disaster. So many in New Jersey are still in a very tough predicament and need all the help we can give!
I love when people have the opportunity to help without having to do anything really different. It really helps and helps to get others to do so also.