Daly City school carries tradition of 'No One Eats Alone' Day

DALY CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- It's difficult being a teenager, but some students are helping fight isolation and bullying through a program called No One Eats Alone. And it started right here in the Bay Area.

Rather than spend time on their electronics devices, students at Fernando Rivera Middle School in Daly City socialized in person.

"They are playing games on paper, they are playing actual board games and then we have the big group games, but everyone is engaged, everyone is doing something," said event organizer Sue McMahon-Dyogi.

It was all part of No One Eats Alone Day. It's an event to include everyone so that no one is socially isolated.

Schools across the U.S. are also doing the same as part of the anti-bullying campaign because who knows who will be your future best friend.

"We've assigned kids to random tables, so they're not sitting in their usual spot," school principal Dina Conti said.

One student said, "You're going out of your way and not sitting with your usual people. I think that helps you become a better person."

Student Angela Suarez said eating alone can be really painful. She said, "Today is really good because I actually got to sit with some people. It was actually really nice."

Class president Audrey Degon said including everyone was part of her campaign. She said, "You really want to go here to have an experience and to make friends and to make memories. I really wanted that to be the mindset that people have when they went to school."

Last year, about 500,000 students participated at more than 700 schools around 38 states. This year, those numbers are expected to be higher.