When Johannesburg native Topaz Page-Green moved to Manhattan in 2001 to launch a modeling career, she worked with plenty of waifs who were happy to skip lunch. But on a visit home to South Africa three years later, she was struck by the sight of children in impoverished Soweto, huddled together under a tree during recess because they hadno school lunch. Within months, Topaz founded the Lunchbox Fund, a nonprofit that provides meals for African students. "I want to make stuff happen," says the NYU grad. "We don`t have time to waste." Topaz` passion has attracted megastars: Her pals Mario Batali, Helena Christensen and Mike Myers are supporters of the Lunchbox Fund, while Balthazar Getty and (Topaz` rumored onetime flame) Joaquin Phoenix sit on its board. She also models for Lacoste and Edun, so it`s little wonder that Edun`s co-founder, Bono, is a pal. So how did an unknown South African ascend into such elite circles? "I`ve known these people through mutual friends since I came to New York," Topaz shrugs. Though single, the Spanish Harlem resident rarely goes out merely to hobnob with the glitterati: "What the hell is the point of being on the scene for its own sake? If I go out, it`s because it helps the organization." For her December 11 gala at Milk Studios, Topaz has recruited boyfriend, Salman Rushdie, to design lunchboxes for auction. As for the success of her efforts, she says, "I got lucky!"
The Foodbank for New York City is the city’s primary supplier for food for the hungry and helps provide more than 240,000 free meals served each day – one out of four children in New York depend on the Food Bank for meals. The Lunchbox Fund which was founded last year is a non-profit that provides lunch to children in schools in South Africa who would otherwise go without. Many of these children are AIDS orphans who are living in child-headed households and cannot afford to pay their basic school fees of $15 per year.