Stop Humger Now - Sandhills NC Rotary helps filling meal bags

I was privileged to participate in the fight against hunger activity of the Sandhills Rotary club of Pinehurst NC in cooperation with “Stop Hunger Now” (http://www.stophungernow.org/)

In less than two hours 25,000 meals were packaged by Rotary and Interact students from the area. Scientifically designed dried ingredients were combined into plastic bags that contained meals for six children. The mixture was high protein with vitamins. But, malnourished children cannot take mega doses of vitamins so they were adjusted to the appropriate level. At each station five people were required; one for soy protein, one for vitamins, one for dried vegetables and one for rice. The fifth held the bag under a funnel to collect the ingredients and placed the filled bags in a box. When full, a runner was called who to the box of 6-8 bags to the weighting station where rice was added or removed to obtain the correct weight. The bags were then sealed and packed for shipment. For each 1,000 meals a gong was sounded.

The process was very well organized and all went smoothly.

Some of the ingredients were cooked up for the volunteers and form personal experience tasted like bland rice-a-roni. This is on purpose so that local spices can be added if required and the food not be foreign to the tastes of the recipients. These meals were headed for Bolivia and school lunch programs. Part of the purpose is to encourage parents to send their children to school to get the healthy meal.

My congratulations to the Sandhills Rotary club.