Students at the Vanguard School in Malvern are being cheered for their efforts to help feed the poor through a program promoting math and vocabulary scholarship.

The program is part of a hunger relief effort by Yum! Brands, which owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC.  According to a press release from Vanguard, the students were able to earn 1.9 million grains of rice to help feed hungry people around the world.  The restaurant chain makes food donations to the United Nations Wold Food Program, quantified by rice grains for every correct answer students get on math and vocabulary questions.

According to a Vanguard spokeswoman the 1.9 million grains of rice translates into about 200 meals donated to hunger programs by the restaurant company in honor of the Vanguard Students.

“It’s important for our students to have opportunities to give back in a meaningful way,” said Tim Lanshe, Director of Education at The Vanguard School in a press release. “This is a good example of the power of working together for positive change.”

According to the press release, The Vanguard School is a Pennsylvania Approved Private School for Special Education licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education that serves students ages 4 through 21 with array of disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, neurological impairments and social-emotional difficulties."