Blair hosts Onigiri-making event in Media Center

On Friday, Nov. 10, Blair’s SGA and Japanese teacher Yoko Zoll hosted an Onigiri-making event in the media center for students during periods three and six, and for staff during lunch.

The event was part of the annual social good campaign OnigiriAction, run by the nonprofit organization Table For Two (TFT). For every picture of Onigiri posted through their website, TFT will donate five meals to children in need. “They make rice balls, take a picture, and post it…This will deliver five school meals for every picture,” Zoll said.

Zoll began hosting the Onigiri Action event at Blair in 2018, but couldn't run the event for the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is actually the third time [I did it]. [The] last time I did it was in 2018 before COVID,” Zoll said. Before, in 2018, she single-handedly cooked 98 cups of rice; this year, with the help of parent volunteers, preparing for the event was much easier. Still, they cooked up to 15 pounds of rice.

Zoll grew up eating Onigiri and hopes that by running this event, students will learn the value of making better food choices. “[Onigiri] is a very staple food in Japan … I’m looking forward to promoting healthy eating and eliminating world hunger.”

The SGA and Zoll will host another iteration of the event on Friday, Nov. 17 during periods two and four.

A flyer for the event on Nov. 10 can be found here.