Blake Snider, 9, Harvey Snider, Lily Qin, Lauren Snider, and Lang Xiong, work together to fill a meals package that feeds four.
The Langley pyramid community came together on Feb. 8 at Colvin Run Elementary School to “stop hunger now.” Students and families from throughout the Langley pyramid, with cooperation of Vienna-area students, packaged 87,696 meals during the 7-1/2 hour volunteer day. “Stop Hunger Now” representatives supervised the production and boarded the boxed meal-packs into the nonprofit’s trucks. “Stop Hunger Now” is an international humanitarian nonprofit engaged in global hunger relief programs and crisis response.
This is the third year that Colvin Run ES headed the assembly-line packing project.
Six-year-old Kevin Martell understood completely why he was there with his family volunteering. “To help feed people who aren’t fortunate-enough to have food,” he said.
Colvin Run ES students raised $1,386 themselves by doing chores at home, an “earn and learn” program. The children made and sold handcrafted aprons and ceramic bowls that netted $600. The school had raised more than $20,000 as of Saturday morning.
The project host raises the funds needed to pay for the ingredients that “Stop Hunger Now” supplies. The nonprofit uses an assembly-line production in which each volunteer has an ingredient task. Uniform scooping of each ingredient assures nutritional composition, and every package is weighed for consistency of product.
The assembly process combines rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and a flavoring mix that includes 21 essential vitamins and minerals into individual meal packages that will feed four. The meal packages are shipped around the world to support school feeding programs and crisis relief. The meal units have a shelf-life of two years.
Schools, faith communities and civic clubs pack thousands of the meals every year.
When Caroline Martell, 8, was asked why she came to help, she summed it up. “I want to help stop hunger.”
To host a meals packaging project, go to www.stophungernow.org/
— Donna Manz