Making 20,000 Meals in Three Hours

On March 4, I joined a team of 175 volunteers at River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation (RRUUC), and we assembled more than 20,000 meals in about 3 hours.  You might wonder:  How is it possible to make a such a large number of meals in such a short time?

Here’s the recipe.  (This is a food blog, after all.)  Start with a congregation that’s filled with people who believe that Unitarian Universalists live their faith by creating active, tangible expressions of love, justice, and peace. Enlist an enthusiastic minister (Rev. Kären Rasmussen), who then arranges to hold a volunteer event with Rise Against Hunger.   Recruit volunteers for three shifts on the designated meal-assembly day:  setup, meal assembly, and cleanup.  (Be sure to include children, because it’s a family-friendly event and it’s a great way to teach kids about the problem of hunger.) Direct the setup volunteers to unload the meal components from the delivery truck and then set up tables.  Dispense hair nets or hats, hand sanitizer, and disposable gloves (for the dominant hand) to the meal-assembly volunteers.  Assign five or six meal-assembly volunteers to each table, on which a funnel and various other materials are arranged.  Teach the volunteers the steps needed to put together each meal, and instruct them to fill each bag assembly-line style:

1. Open a plastic bag that’s printed with meal preparation instructions.
2. Add a packet of vitamins and then hold the open bag around the bottom of the funnel.
3. Add a heaping scoop of soy protein.
4. Add a level spoonful of dehydrated vegetables.
5. Add a level scoop of rice.
6. Remove the bag from the funnel.
7. Weigh the bag and then either add or remove rice to achieve the target weight.
8. Seal the bag and add it to a box for transportation to the warehouse — and beyond!
9. Hit a gong whenever the group reaches each meal-bagging milestone.
10. Have fun!

Hunger is a Monumental Problem

The statistics are sobering:  One in three people worldwide are adversely affected by malnutrition.  According to a recent report by the United Nations, World Food Programme, World Health Organization and the UN Children’s Fund, 815 million people in the world don’t get the food they need to live a healthy life.  Rise Against Hunger, our partner for the March 4 event at RRUUC, is an international hunger-relief organization that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable people, mobilizing the necessary resources to end hunger by 2030.

#2030isPossible

How realistic is the goal of ending hunger by 2030?  Despite a recent setback caused primarily by growing political conflict and climate related issues, Rise Against Hunger reports that the world remains on a trajectory to end hunger by 2030. Two decades ago, more than 23 percent of the world’s population was malnourished, and that amount has now been reduced by half.  The reduction in hunger has been achieved by economic growth, by increasing local food production, and by promoting greater access to nutritious food, healthcare and education.  Rise Against Hunger continues to expand the movement by creating educated advocates and volunteers who are mobilizing even more resources toward these proven hunger-reduction solutions.

The meals that are packed by volunteers and distributed by Rise Against Hunger are designed to provide a comprehensive array of micronutrients.  Each easy-to-prepare meal includes enriched rice, soy protein, dried vegetables and 23 essential vitamins and nutrients.  The only ingredient that the recipient needs to add is boiling water.  And in case the recipient cannot read English, the back of each meal bag contains an easy-to-understand graphic illustration demonstrating the cooking process.

The Meals are Meat-Free

Rise Against Hunger says that it “uses soy protein rather than whey protein because it’s vegetarian” — and that the meals “are appropriate for most diets because they are rice-based, vegetarian and can be augmented with locally available food and spices.”  (I’m thinking that they might possibly be vegan!) White rice is used rather than the more nutritious brown rice, because it is cheaper and allows the organization to assemble more meal bags.  White rice is also more shelf stable than brown rice because it does not contain the bran (which contains oil).

What Will Happen to the Meal Bags We Filled?

Rise Against Hunger will stockpile the meal bags that we filled in their warehouse until they have accumulated 285,102 — enough to fill a shipping container.  Then the meals are sent overseas to an in-country partner that can demonstrate accountability, cover shipping costs, and provide meal storage and distribution.  The food that Rise Against Hunger provides is best utilized when it leverages other sustainable development initiatives such as school feeding programs, food for work programs, and HIV/AIDS treatment programs.

Want to Help Eliminate Hunger?

Rise Against Hunger has many ways you can become involved in the fight against hunger.  Check out the options on this page of their website, and take action today!