In case you were wondering, actor Sarah Michelle Gellar really does come across as super smart and warm as you hoped she would. And while I rarely get tongue tied when interviewing celebrities, I’m not too proud to admit that I did get a little gushy (okay, a lot) when chatting with her earlier this week. After all, for nearly a decade, Gellar played the role of vampire slayer extraordinaire Buffy Summers–and she saved the world. A lot. More recently, she appeared on the twisty short lived series Ringer and then The Crazy Ones along with the late great Robin Williams. She was also part of the Scream franchise and far too many movies and TV shows to list.

I caught up with the mother of two and child hunger advocate and activist to discuss her new partnership with nonprofit organization No Kid Hungry, whose mission it is to help bring healthy breakfasts to schoolchildren.

What made you decide to become involved with No Kid Hungry? Is it a cause you were familiar with, or is it something that interested you once you became a mother?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: It’s an incredibly big passion of mine. Even though we had a little growing up my mother always taught me that you could make a difference to other people–even if it wasn’t financial. I’ve had so many opportunities to travel all around the world to help various causes. I traveled to Guatemala to raise awareness of Fair Trade and worked on building houses in Africa with Habitat for Humanity. But once you have children, your whole life shifts. I can’t just pick up and move somewhere with no electricity for two weeks. And I don’t want to, even if I could. My children have become my focus for me. In my 20s it was fun to travel everywhere, but when I had my children, my priority shifted to children here in America. I started to read about Urban Hunger and the studies and statistics about how many children go hungry. Something like four out of five children are hungry at some point. I thought–that’s not possible. And then I started to read about No Kid Hungry and I learned a term that really frightened me–Suburban Hunger. Right now the kids living right next door to you might be going hungry.

So I got their number (No Kid Hungry) and I just called them up and I said I’m here and I’m able to help. I think they thought it was a joke at first. And it’s a great time to be working with them. They’re just launching their hunger in our schools report. It’s so frightening, across America, you hear that about 90% of the schools have the program in place already, but so many kids are still hungry each and every day. Very rarely do you have a problem where you can have the solution in front of you.

I think there are many ways to be part of the solution. Be aware of it. Sometimes you might not realize that the family is next door is hungry. Share the report. Share the studies and information on Facebook or Twitter or with your mom friends at school. Work with local government to advocate on behalf of kids. We have to take care of these kids, because these children are going to be the decision makers in the future. We craft our future. And we are one of the richest countries in the world; everybody should be able to eat.

I think also as a parent, you understand the way that children think; they don’t want to be singled out and as the food programs work now, these kids feel singled out. I think most people don’t realize that breakfast comes with lunch. And you’re asking these kids to come to school earlier than the others and you end up singling them out from the other kids.

Who do you hope to inspire or educate with your involvement with No Kid Hungry? Are there specific lessons that you give your own children about hunger and other social issues?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: I think it’s really important to always teach your children, no matter where you are in life. It’s information. It’s support. It’s being there and talking to them about issues.

In terms of food I have the same argument with kids that every parent has. And when they don’t eat, it’s clear that it’s harder to focus, there are more disciplinary issues and they can’t retain the lesson.

In my household, mealtime is extremely important. No electronics at the table and that means computers or phones or any devices. For us [Gellar is married to actor Freddie Prinze Jr.], meals become the time of true honest connection between family. Even though we have breakfast together at the table, I understand the importance of breakfast in school. I think if these kids were all able to sit down together and have breakfast together they could face the day together and make honest and open decisions together. I remember reading something about Rhodes scholars having a common thread and that it wasn’t ethnicity or socioeconomic background or any of those things, it was sitting with family for dinner at least 3 days a week.

I worry about today’s children not being able to focus or make eye contact. And then you have to worry about what happens during summer break. These are our future decision makers, our care takers; let’s give them every opportunity to succeed. Let’s not set them up for failure.

You were in the spotlight from a very young age and grew up in a very different way than most kids. Do you think that has made you more or less sensitive to what is considered the normal lifestyle in this country for children?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: I think it all depends on the family–I don’t think how you grow up has to dictate what you are sympathetic or empathetic to. I think that so many people live in a bubble. And they think, “I’m barely scraping by. What can I do?” But the truth is that you can do so much if you really want to.

Can we talk about Buffy? What’s it like to be recognized for a character you played some years back? Is it fun/weird to have millions of people around the world still obsessed with said character?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: It’s incredible. We do what we do in the hope that we have an impact and hope it’s something people remember. I feel incredibly lucky. Find me an actor who says that they do what they do in the hopes of being forgotten. I doubt that Harrison Ford says that he wishes people would finally forget about Indiana Jones or Star Wars.

What’s next for you?

Sarah Michelle Gellar: I’m actually working on a project that will surprise people–it’s different than everything that I’ve done. But I’m a couple of weeks away from talking about it. And I won’t be able to offer any hints. I can’t think of a way to describe it other than that it’s outside of regular or traditional entertainment.

I’m extremely appreciative that I have this ability to reach people. And they trust me and they feel that we can all make the difference together. It takes all of us to help and help these kids.

Note: Within a few hours of this interview, Gellar announced that she was joining the second season of Disney XD and Lucasfilm’s animated series Star Wars Rebels. Husband Freddie Prinze Jr. voices the role of Kanan.

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