He Calls For Compassion: Kids Against Hunger

If you previously read this post, than you know a little bit about Kids Against Hunger. Otherwise, I will be glad to tell you. KAH is a non-profit organization that uses volunteer labor in the US to package this rice casserole type stuff which is then sent all over the world. Their commitment is to stop death by starvation around the world.

The Beginning
Richard Proudfit went on a trip to Honduras in 1974 after a hurricane destroyed much of the country. He saw the effects of starvation and decided to do something about it. He enlisted the help of food scientists from several big name companies to develop a food that would provide all the nutrition that a starving child needs in one meal per day. KAH started out of Minnesota in 1999. We met Richard at the missionary convention and he is a neat man with many incredible stories. This was the beginning for us. Dan was also at the convention, and he heads up the Indiana satellite which is out of the Red Cross in Noblesville. This is where we have been volunteering once a month.

The Food

"The meal ingredients are formulated by food scientists to provide a rich source of easily digestible protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins needed by an undernourished child’s body and mind. The food is also acceptable to the broad diversity of ethnic tastes and religious differences around the world. The food offers all 9 of the essential amino acids required for complete nutrition, something that can’t be said about other typical food relief sources such as rice or beans alone. It is also very simple to prepare, requiring only 6 cups of boiling water to make a complete meal."

The soy, rice, vegetables and vitamins are all dehydrated and just need boiling water to make. Richard said they had to experiment with the right amount of vitamins, because starving children could actually get sick from too much vitamin.

The Process
Volunteers form an assembly line where there are stations for each of the ingredients, as well as a weighing station, sealing station, and boxing station. The food goes in the bag in a certain order and then is weighed to make sure that it is between 390g and 400g and then it is sealed and packed. 6 meals per bag, 36 bags per box, so 216 meals in one box. At the end, each meal costs about 23 cents!

Volunteer
There are currently satellites in 18 states and 1 in Canada. This includes the one in Noblesville, one in Louisville that just started, and some others that I don't know whether they are close to anyone that reads this. You can also start your own satellite. Over 50 million meals have gone out to 40 different countries since it started.

Here are some pictures of our last few times:

the food