STOP HUNGER NOW – FOOD PACKING

Stop Hunger Now provides meal packages to the needy.

Key to the programme is a series of meal packaging events, where volunteers package the meals.

The meals are highly nutritious and comprise of rice, soya, dehydrated vegetable mix and a fortification pack of 23 essential minerals and vitamins specifically formulated to combat malnutrition (complying with the UNICEF standard).

The Food Packing Sessions are hosted by various organizations (Including Lions Clubs) and the ingredients are provided by Stop Hunger Now.

Volunteers form teams at various tables and each table has a set task. For instance

Table1 – measures the right amounts of the ingredients.

Table2 – weighs the bags from table 1 and makes sure they fall within a tolerance

Table3 – takes the bags from table 2 and seals them

Table4 – takes the sealed bags and labels them

Table5 – takes the labelled bags and packs them in a box.

Finally when the box is full it is weighed to make sure that it contains the correct number of bags.

As each table requires at least 3 volunteers it can be seen that many volunteers are needed. There can also be more than 1 “production line” each requiring the same number of volunteers.

As the morning progresses there is a lot of interaction between people and great fun is had.

A single session of food packing will last about 3 hours.

It is well worth attending one of these sessions as you feel that you have achieved something at the end.

Attached photos show Lions Liz, Sue and John kitted out and ready to work and Lions Liz and Sue hard at work measuring the weights of the packets.

Project Facilitator: John Houston