Mountain Musings
This morning my husband and I had a wonderful opportunity of participating as one of many volunteers in the assembling of fifty thousand packets of food mix destined for Haiti. The event was sponsored by Western North Carolina Rotary Clubs in conjunction with the international organization Stop Hunger Now (www.stophungernow.org) and held in communities across the the district during the next several weeks.
More than 1 billion people do not have enough to eat. In developing countries 10.9 million children under age 5 die each year. This translates into a child dying every six seconds from a hunger-related cause. This is not because of food shortages. In fact, there are enough sustainable food resources, processing potential and distribution know-how to feed everyone on earth.
Stop Hunger Now's Meal Packaging Program is a volunteer-based effort through which participants package high protein, dehydrated meals for use in crisis situations such as presently exists in Haiti. Through a fun and engaging assemply-line process, a team of 40 volunteers can package 10,000 meals in just two hours. Meal packaging events are conducted by volunteer groups of all ages from churches, schools and other community organizations such as Rotary.
Stop Hunger Now's meals are highly nutritious dehydrated foods. Each healthy packet consists of one cupful of soy protein, 1 tbsp. of dried mixed vegetables, one tsp. of 21 essential multi-vitamin/mineral powder and one cupful of enriched rice. Mixed with water and cooked, it is sufficient to feed a family of six and costs approximately 25 cents to make. The meals are easy to transport, store and distribute to those in greatest need.
Jean Kendy, a 2nd grade student from Cite Soleil School in Haiti says of the meal, "I love Stop Hunger Now rice a lot...I can't have enough of this rice. When my parents send me to school without anything to eat, they don't worry because they know I will eat at school. I pray every day for the people who send the rice."
Stop Hunger Now depends on donations to fund each meal packaging event. Contributions may be sent by using the website address above and following online directions. The group's vision is to end world hunger in our lifetime and its mission is to provide food and life-saving aid to the world's most destitute and hungry in the most sustainable, efficient and effective manner. To date, over 20 million meals have been provided, with Western North Carolina adding another million to the ever-increasing total. If you are interested in participating in or scheduling an event through a location near you, visit www.stophungernow.org/locations .
It was a very rewarding experience to have hands-on participation in an effort where basic needs of impoverished people who can barely exist amid the devastation of their communities are met through this worthy program. I have grieved over the Haitian plight and made a monetary contribution, but working alongside a couple of hundred volunteers, all with the same objective in mind and with cheerful attitudes, made me feel as if I had really done something to make their lives a little better.
M.I. Lee
