On October 17th, 40 volunteers fed 11,448 people.  In only 2 and a half hours.

How did they do it?  By working together to package meal kits in partnership with Orange Plaza Rotary and Stop Hunger Now, an organization that ships meals around the world.  The meals packaged at the October event will be shipped to the Philippines and Vietnam.

Volunteers set up and disassembled packaging stations and equipment, filled bins with raw ingredients, scooped ingredients into meal bags, weighed and sealed the bags, boxed and stacked them on pallets, and loaded the pallets and equipment onto a truck.

Children as young as 4 participated as “runners”, carrying completed items to the next station.  Teams worked together, chatting and laughing as they enjoyed a day of service to others.

Why did they do it?  Stop Hunger Now meal packets will serve as a lifeline for these communities.  Education paired with the meals equals sustainability for communities, allowing them the freedom to focus on larger issues.

Stop Hunger Now partners with service organizations, businesses, and faith communities around the world.  The Orange Plaza Rotary event was funded, in part, by a district grant of The Rotary Foundation, which paid the cost of each meal: only 29 cents!

To learn more about the Stop Hunger Now program, visit their website, or visit Orange Plaza Rotary at an upcoming meeting.  You will be glad you did!

Check out more photos on our Flickr page!