Many hands join to bag food for Haiti
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Boxes filled with food packets bound for Haiti sit on pallets after being packed at KANDU Industries in Janesville on Saturday.
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Laura Cerny of Janesville heat seals a bag of food with all the ingredients for a healthy meal at KANDU on Saturday.
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Edgerton Kindergartner Lizzy Gould, 5, adds a measuring spoon of dried vegetables to a food mix that will be sent to victims of the Haiti earthquake on Saturday.
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Milton Middle School seventh graders Kiara Laack, left, and Chelsea Curley measure and add soy and rice respectively to the nutritious mix being prepared by Kids Against Hunger at KANDU in Janesville on Saturday. The food packs are going to victims of the Haiti earthquake.
JANESVILLE — The Milton Middle School kids knew exactly why they were spending their Saturday afternoon at Kandu Industries on Saturday.
“An earthquake. People are dying,” Breck Kirkeeng said.
From small children to elderly adults, nearly 200 people worked in three shifts Saturday. They scooped substances from bins, combining them into packets that hungry people in Haiti will open and boil to make nutritious meals.
The packing operation, organized by Kids Against Hunger-Rock County Rotary, continues today at Kandu Industries in Janesville.
The local group has been feeding hungry people locally and around the world for about two years. So when disaster struck Haiti, they put out the word that they would shift resources to Haitian relief, and they needed donations—and volunteers.
“The support has been tremendous,” said John Wong, president of the local group.
Wong said the organization is completely voluntary; every dollar pays for food for hungry people.
A Minnesota businessman founded Kids Against Hunger in 1999. The local organization is one of 72 “satellites” around the United States and the only one in Wisconsin.
“It’s not been Janesville. It’s not been Beloit. It’s not been Edgerton. It’s not been Milton. It’s been everywhere,” Wong said. “We’re not out to prove one community is better that another. It’s a group effort.”
Kids Against Hunger sends one thing and one thing only to hungry people: a plastic packet of food whose contents can be cooked in boiling water to make a meal for six.
One of those meals feeds a 5-year-old for an entire day, Wong said.
All the labor is volunteer, and Kandu donates the space, so there’s no overhead.
All donations go to buying food and transportation, Wong said.
Wong enthusiastically spouted facts about hunger as he oversaw the packaging assembly line.
“Once every six seconds, a child in the world will die of starvation,” he told a group of volunteers Saturday afternoon. “But it just doesn’t make the national news.”
It’s about feeding the hungry but also educating people, he said.
Each packet contains a powder with 21 vitamins and minerals, a blend of six dried vegetables, soy protein, chicken flavor and rice.
“The nutrient-rich formula reverses the starvation process and its effects,” according to a brochure.
The response to the Haitian effort was so big that organizer Gary Bersell had to turn at least 75 volunteers away this weekend. But as new supplies arrive, more packaging events will be scheduled.
Each wave of volunteers is asked to donate, and the group sells T-shirts to raise money. Corporate sponsors and the local Rotary clubs also are generous, Wong said.
“It’s incredible what the public has done, and it’s good to realize how precious life can be,” Wong said.
Wong figures the food packaged this weekend may take a month to arrive. He’s gotten an estimate of $2,000 to deliver the food to the U.S. Navy in Norfolk, Va.
“The U.S. Navy is actually transporting our food down to Port-au-Prince, so we know it’s going to get there,” Wong said.
Kids Against Hunger has an intact warehouse and staff in Haiti, Wong said.
HOW TO HELP
Donations may be sent to Kids Against Hunger-Rock County Rotary at 4237 N. County KK, Milton, WI 53563. More information can be found at rotarykidsagainst hunger.org.
Volunteers will be needed for future packaging efforts. To volunteer, contact Gary Bersell at gbersell@kandu
in dustries.com or (608) 755-4123.
Jan 26, 2010 at 3:50 p.m.
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Davesacenet , Thank you for all your hard work . You clearly have a passion to help people no matter who or where they are from . We need more people like you in the world .
Thanks again and keep up the great work. You are a great role model for a lot of people .
Jan 25, 2010 at 5:12 p.m.
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Hank's numbers are 3000 times the actual figures, just so you know.
Jan 25, 2010 at 1:51 p.m.
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Mickie, If you read the article nowhere does it say the government is funding this--in fact it's just the opposite--volunteers. Perhaps you can tell your congresspeople and senators your dislike for government funding for other countries.
Jan 25, 2010 at 1:17 p.m.
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I`m with Hank- as individuals we may help who we choose.. However- look at Katrina, that was a mess and disaster RIGHT here.. But, I feel our Government has NO BUSINESS donating anything to anyone but the good old U. S. Of A. -there are millions suffering right here in our own yards. Its absurd, and ridiculous.
Jan 25, 2010 at 11:07 a.m.
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Hank - I'm glad you donate your time to Echo. It's a great organization and does a lot of good in our community. Perhaps next time you’re there, ask if you could take a quick tour of the facility. If you look hard, I’m sure you’ll notice several cases of Kids Against Hunger meals waiting to be consumed by hungry Rock county residents. Since being founded in May of 2008, Kids Against Hunger – Rock County Rotary, Inc. (KAH-RCR) has provided over 125,000 highly nutritious chicken flavored rice casseroles to recipients within the United States (85,000 within Rock County) including approximately 40,000 to Echo. Since its inception, KAH-RCR has made a commitment to provide as much of its production as is needed to any Rock County food relief agency (so far including ECHO, Salvation Army Janesville, Salvation Army Beloit, Caritas, Edgerton Outreach, Milton Community Action, AWARE and the Central Christian Food Bank).
Fortunately there are still a lot of compassionate, caring individuals who feel compelled to provide for those less fortunate in areas outside the United States as well. KAH-RCR has done just that by providing food in Uganda, Cameroon and (very shortly) Haiti. As a not for profit, 501(c)(3) organization with no paid staff and virtually no overhead expenses, none of this would be possible without the generous support of thousands of local volunteers and donors. KAH-RCR hosts several packaging events each month. Hank, as someone who clearly has the best interest of your Rock County neighbors at heart, I sincerely hope you’ll find time to join us in a future packaging event. For additional information, please visit www.rotarykidsagainsthunger.org , check out the Kids Against Hunger – Rock County Rotary, Inc. page on facebook or contact me directly.
007 – Good question on the rubber gloves. Per the FDA, volunteers with no open cuts do not need gloves to package a dry food product. Keep in mind, this food will be boiled for 20 minutes before consumption. Each volunteer uses hand sanitizer before beginning the process.
Dave Warren
dave@davesace.com
Vice President
Kids Against Hunger – Rock County Rotary, Inc.
Jan 25, 2010 at 2:07 a.m.
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Is there any reason none of the pictured individuals are not wearing plastic gloves??
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