Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation and Chapter One Poetry Competition 2025-26

Chapter One is a key charity partner of the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, supporting children with 1:1 reading support at the time they need it the most, and therefore maximising their chances of getting out of food poverty. Remember, children who are engaged and active learners are less likely to experience food poverty later in life.

Sodexo employees and their families are invited to enter the competition which aims to bring three key communities together:

• Sodexo employees and their families

• Schools operated by Sodexo/AiP partnerships

• Chapter One schools where Sodexo employees are matched as Online Reading Volunteers

Did you know? You have 3 paid days to volunteer with Stop Hunger. With your line manager approval, you can use them to craft your poetry submission with your child or young person!

🥝 Enter with your family!

How it works:

• Theme: fruits and/or vegetables

• Your child can write their poem by themselves or with adult support. Children must be of school age (4-18 years).

• Maximum poem length: 5 lines (see why below!)

Timeline and key dates

• Submissions close: 11.59pm 9 March 2026 (extended from 27 February 2026)

• Winners announced: May 2026

• Poem publication and special online celebration event: June 2026

Why 5 Lines? The 5-line maximum length might surprise you, but there's good reason for it:

✓ Allows Chapter One to publish all winning poems and the runners-up in their Global Free Library
✓ Makes the competition accessible for all learners, including SEND and EAL (English as an Additional Language) pupils
✓ Teaches valuable editing skills—every word must count
✓ Can create stronger, more focused poems than longer pieces
✓ Follows celebrated short poetry forms (haiku, cinquain, imagist poems)

READ THE COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

READY TO SUBMIT YOUR POEM? ENTER IT HERE!

READ OUR FAQs FOR SODEXO EMPLOYEES AND FAMILIES

🍉 Resources to support families

What Makes a Great 5-Line Poem?

Strong word choices
Instead of: "The apple is nice and red"
Try: "Scarlet apple, shiny as glass"

Clear images
Help readers see, smell, taste, hear, or feel what you're describing

Every line matters
Can you take any line away? If yes, maybe it doesn't need to be there!

Your unique voice
What do YOU notice about this fruit or vegetable that others might miss?

Revision and polish
The best poems are rewritten several times. First drafts are just the beginning!

Tips for Writing at Home

Start by observing
Put a fruit or vegetable on the table. Really look at it. Touch it. Smell it. If it's safe to taste, taste it! What do you notice?

Write freely first
Let your child write 10, 15, or 20 lines if the words are flowing. You can edit down to 5 lines later.

Try different structures

• One line for each sense (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste)

• A tiny story in 5 parts

• Five surprising facts

• Five different ways to describe one thing

• A 3-line haiku plus 2 extra lines

Read it aloud
Does it sound good? Do any words feel clunky or unnecessary? Reading aloud helps you hear what works.

Make it playful
This should be fun! Poems can be silly, serious, surprising, or sweet. There's no wrong approach.

Examples of what 5 lines can do

Tell a story:

The grape rolled off the table
Bounced across the kitchen floor
Hid behind the bin
Waited three whole days
Then got swept away.

Paint a picture:

Cucumber: long and cool and green,
Watery crunch,
Seeds like tiny pearls,
Refreshing as summer rain,
Perfect in every way.

Be funny:

Dear Brussels sprout,
Why do you taste like that?
Sincerely, everyone under ten.
P.S. Sorry.
P.P.S. We tried.

Express feeling:

My mum's lemon cake
Smells like sunshine and Saturday,
Tastes like being five years old again,
Every slice a memory,
Sweet and sharp and home.

Remember

The goal isn't to write the "perfect" poem - it's to:

• Have fun with words

• Notice things you usually rush past

• Create something together

• Celebrate your child's creativity

• Maybe discover that your family has budding poets in it!

Five lines is plenty of space for magic. We can't wait to read what your child creates!

🥕 🍓 🥦

If you have any questions, please reach out to: stophunger.ukandie@sodexo.com