Many hands make light work
to fight hunger, here and abroad

Even in the midst of economic calamity, the United States has little experience of widespread hunger. Still, it wasn't difficult to round up a couple hundred students from Grosse Pointe North and South high schools, as well as Brownell, Parcells and Pierce middle schools, to help alleviate hunger worldwide.

A crew from Kids Against Hunger, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting the problem here and abroad, put the students to work assembly-line style in the Brownell gym, to put together 1,700 of their signature food packages–a mixture of rice, soy protein, dried vegetables and flavorings that, when cooked in water, provide six adult meals. That's 10,200 meals prepared in about two hours' time.

The procedure was simple—a crew of six assembled to scoop the ingredients into bags, weigh them, seal them and pack them in cartons. Don Burwell, president of Kids Against Hunger's Great Lakes Coalition, told the students their work would be divided into thirds, with one-third going to local food banks, another sent abroad, and the last held in reserve for national relief efforts, as needed. 

South senior Jack Davis stacked packets into cartons, 36 at a time. He doesn't know anyone in need, but he doesn't doubt others are: "It's kind of hard to miss when it's on the news every night."

Below from left, Maddie Groezinger from South seals bags with North students Kaylee Simon and Kirsten Rudd. 

• Login or register to post comments
• Printer-friendly version
• Send by email