OLATHE, Kan., Dec. 18, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Stop Hunger Now and Heartland Community Church are joining forces in the fight against hunger. More than 1,600 volunteers will package meals for the world's hungry on December 21, 2014 at Heartland's Olathe location, 12175 S Strang Line Rd, Olathe, KS 66062, from 9am to 6pm. Stop Hunger Now meal packaging events are a volunteer-based program that coordinates the streamlined packaging of highly nutritious dehydrated meals comprised of rice, soy, vegetables and 22 essential vitamins and minerals.
"We are gearing up for our second annual food packaging event with Stop Hunger Now. Our goal is to pack over 280,000 meals - which is an entire shipping freight of hope - and send it to the starving and suffering in Liberia," says Dan Deeble, Lead Pastor of Heartland Community Church. "Packing meals is such a blast for us - kids can do it, students dig it, and grandmas kill it! Our only challenge is that we can't provide enough slots for everyone that wants in on the fun!"
Around the world, nearly 805 million people lack adequate food. Stop Hunger Now operates meal packaging locations in 19 cities throughout the U.S. and four international locations in South Africa, Malaysia, the Philippines and Italy. More than 450,000 volunteers from corporations, churches, schools and civic organizations have packaged Stop Hunger Now meals.
Founded in 1998, Stop Hunger Now has delivered aid and disaster relief supplies in the form of food, medical supplies, clothing, school supplies and more to thousands of disaster victims and other hungry and vulnerable people in 65 countries.
This will be the second year Heartland Community Church has hosted the event. In 2013, the volunteers packaged 285,120 meals.
"What we want everyone to know is that hunger is solvable and is the common thread among the world's most challenging issues. When hunger is targeted, you give leverage and hope to every other cause including poverty, disease, education and the welfare of women and children," said Rod Brooks, President and CEO of Stop Hunger Now.
For more information contact Baylee DeLaurier, Kansas City Program Manager with Stop Hunger Now – (913) 871-8107 kansascity(at)stophungernow(dot)org
For more than 15 years, Stop Hunger Now has been creating a movement to end hunger with more than 140,000,000 meals distributed along with other aid to 65 countries. Driven by a mission to end hunger in our lifetime, the organization provides food and life-saving aid to the world's most vulnerable and helps mobilize the necessary resources impacting millions of lives.
Stop Hunger Now meal packaging programs offer volunteers the opportunity to participate in a hands-on international hunger relief program and to become educated, engaged advocates for the world's poor and hungry. In 2013, Stop Hunger Now packaged 38.6 million meals in the U.S. and an additional 3.3 million meals were packaged by international locations.
In its efforts to respond to emergency needs around the world Stop Hunger Now receives and distributes significant donations of in-kind aid. These donations are large quantities of food, medicines, medical supplies and other such items as may be of use in fighting hunger and providing relief in a crisis.
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Stop Hunger Now Chessney Barrick Pullen +1 757-469-7045
