10.02.2012

Stop Hunger Now

So as you all know, I traveled to Haiti with a team. 
I blogged about this prior to our event and you can read it HERE.

So to recap:
We, as a team, wanted to do something when we got back to the states to help this town of Cange and more specifically, the school at which we taught, Laplieade School.  We didn't just want to walk away. Hundreds of children come to this school daily and they take ENORMOUS pride in the privilege of being able to attend school.  However, they are not served meals and we know that many do not get guaranteed meals at home.

So we came up with the idea of teaming with an organization of STOP HUNGER NOW.  They hold packing events to package meals with a shelf life of 3 - 5 years.  Each meal packs a huge punch for those consuming.  Every dehydrated rice/soy meal is fortified with 21 essential vitamins and nutrients. My Haiti team is working toward a goal of 142,560 meals which equals 1 20-ft shipping container. This container will be stored and monitored in Cange, Haiti and will guarantee each school child receives one nutritious meal a day, each day they come to school for years!!!

So, Amber and I, hosted a Stop Hunger Now Packing Event at our church on a Wednesday night, 8/29/12.  We packaged 10,000 meals that night!

 We were looking for 40 - 50 volunteers and we had 75 show up, that's right, 75!!!  I was super humbled and excited all rolled into one that night.  I loved that this many people made the effort to come out and don a cafeteria lady hair net, put their looks aside and get down to working so that children, whom they had never met just taken Amber and my word for it, would get a meal, not a gourmet one, but a simple meal.

We had a brief introduction and training and we were off!  People, ranging in many ages, 5 - 75, took a station job and off we went!  It was such a rush and so much fun!!!  A gong would sound for every 1,000 meals you packed and all the workers would take a second to pause and cheers would go up.

There were many jobs to fill.
To start there are multiple stations to fill the meal bags.  There are 5 at each station:
1 to hold bag under funnel and pack vitamin pack, 1 soy scooper (protein), 1 vegetable scooper, 1 rice scooper and 1 runner to take bags to weigh and sealing table
Here 4 4th graders are getting trained.
Funnel
Soy Scooper
Happy Rice Scooper (That's my cousin Leigh, she was visiting from California and came out to help!!)
This is my daughter, Skylar, and she was a rice scooper.
The middle schoolers came out as well! Very excited to have them!

Here is a 5-year-old runner.  ALL AGES can have a job!

 The next station you have is the weighing and sealing.  Every meal is weighed and then rice is either added or taken away so that every meal is the same!

Sealing
The whole system working together.
After sealing, the meals are passed off and counted and packaged.

 We needed to raise 25¢ per meal before the event!  10,000 X 25¢ = $2500.  Think about it, have you ever gone hungry?  Really hungry? Was there really ever a time when a meal just wasn't an option?
We are so blessed and have so many options.  I know my family doesn't think very much about going out for dinner, we spend anywhere from $25 - $50.  That could support 200 meals!
We ended up raising ALL of our requested money!  I'm so grateful for everyone that came out, gave their Wednesday night time and their hard earned money.
It truly was a fun time, for some precious children that I've had the pleasure to meet and get to know and that I will see in the future, hopefully with a belly full.

-joy


My daughter and me

James and Hannah that were on our team in Haiti.

My son Jaden was also helping.


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