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|  | | | Open Schoolers Pack 47,000 meals for Kids Against Hunger!
5/22/2008 9:03 PMWorldwide, more than 40,000 children die from hunger, malnutrition and related diseases each day. On May 16, 2008, every Open School student in K-12th grade participated in a day-long event where they packaged meals to be sent to those in the most need of food. We partnered with Kids Against Hunger, a non-profit organization whose goal is to feed starving children throughout the world. The organization works with volunteers to package its specially formulated rice-soy casserole for starving children and their families in more than 40 countries around the world and here in the United States.
Everything needed to package the food (rice, soy protein, dried veggies, bouillon, scales, heat sealers, boxes) was brought by truck to Open School.
Eighty students at a time worked in small groups to measure, package, seal, count, and box the food, with ELC and SLC students (and a few adult volunteers) working side-by-side in hour-long shifts all day. In all, Open School students packaged more than 47,500 meals, which are now bound for Haiti.
Students also had the chance to listen to guest speaker Ramon Pastrano, who was born in the Dominican Republic, and was once a recipient of these food packets. Giving a personal face to world hunger, he explained to the children what it is like to go hungry and how this food literally saved his life.
"It was really moving to see all of our kids -- from youngest to oldest -- working side by side on this really meaningful project," said teacher Tim Leone-Getten. "In addition to being a rich hands-on learning experience for all of us, the day had such a positive vibe and the students were so proud of what they accomplished together."
Planning is already in the works to bring Kids Against Hunger back to Open School for two more days of packaging food next year: Mark your calendars for November 14th and April 24th.
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