Slammin’ Famine

Compass students are pictured here packing meals for the 2026 Slammin’ Famine event.

What happens when high school students take on a global challenge like hunger? At Compass, it looks like rolling up sleeves, working side-by-side with the community, and packing a whole lot of meals.

Recently, Compass students volunteered at Slammin’ Famine 2026, a community meal-packing event in Loveland dedicated to fighting world hunger and food insecurity. In just two hours, our Compass table packed 270 bags of food—that’s 1,620 meals, since each bag contains six meals.

It is pretty amazing what a small group of people can accomplish in a short amount of time. When you zoom out to the entire event, the impact is even bigger. During the 14th annual Slammin’ Famine weekend, 1,500 volunteers came together to pack an incredible 357,696 meals for people facing hunger around the world.

Many students were surprised to learn how powerful even small contributions can be. Each meal costs just $0.29, and $106 can feed a child for an entire year through the programs supported by the event.

For our seniors in the Solve It Venture, this experience connects directly to what they are studying. Their current project focuses on world hunger solutions, and students have been researching the complex systems behind it—from global economies and healthcare systems to food distribution and poverty.

This kind of project-based learning in high school allows students to explore real problems while building practical skills. As part of the project, students are also designing social entrepreneurship fundraising businesses that will support Slammin’ Famine and help expand access to food.

Experiences like this show what real-world learning looks like at Compass. Students collaborate, solve problems, and see firsthand how their work can make a meaningful impact in their community and beyond.

At Compass, we believe learning should connect to the real world—and inspire students to make it better.