Shawn D. Lewis / The Detroit News --
Wearing a hair net and plastic gloves, Libbi Miklos scooped up rice and dehydrated vegetables and added them to a packet. The Grosse Ile High School student was working in an assembly line of students packaging a fortified, chicken-flavored rice-soy casserole mixture for a project sponsored by the Kids Against Hunger Michigan Coalition. "This is a really great opportunity, because it gives students a chance to help people," said Libbi, 15. "It's really awful for people to have to starve. But here, we can meet new people and help out in a really great cause." The Wednesday event at the Detroit Renaissance Center kicked off the Michigan Association of School Administrators Midwinter Conference. It was timed to encourage school administrators to see the program in action, said volunteer Joan Wadworth. The students measured, weighed and packaged the 13.8-ounce bags that can feed six adults or 12 children. Middle and high school students from Romulus, Garden City, Grosse Ile Township and Redford Union were on hand to help.
Kids Against Hunger is a nonprofit food-aid organization whose mission is to reduce the hunger of children in this country and to feed starving children throughout the world. The group partners with local schools, churches and community groups to organize food-packaging events. Last year, Michigan students packaged more than 1.7 million meals through KAH. So far, more than 1 million packages have been sent to Haiti since the earthquake. Roganique Payne, 13, of Romulus Middle School said she was moved by what she saw of the earthquake. "I feel I'm blessed to be here helping the people because this is a one in a million chance," she said. "When I saw the elderly people and children in Haiti on television, at first I wished I could go there, because I can't even imagine how they feel." Michael Burwell, executive director of KAH, said it's important that students have the hands-on experience of helping others. "They learn how to give back to our communities by serving the local and international communities," he said. "And it shows how, if there is a natural disaster like the incident in Haiti, we're already prepared and well-organized to do something about it."
Northville Public Schools Superintendent Leonard Rezmierski helps Lisa Terauchi, 14, of Grosse Isle pack up a box of meals for Haitians. (Brandy Baker / The Detroit News)
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100128/SCHOOLS/1280396/Kids-Against-Hunger-event-featured-at-school-officials--conference#ixzz0fW1pnqPz
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (734) 462-2190 From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100128/SCHOOLS/1280396/Kids-Against-Hunger-event-featured-at-school-officials--conference#ixzz0fVmBYyVg
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Kids Against Hunger Great Lakes Coalition has packaged 5,132,592 meals since the fall of 2004. 1,846,152 of these were packaged in 2009. This year, 2010, KAHC volunteers have packaged 856,872 meals. Since 2004 over 43,028 volunteers have participated in KAHC packaging. KAHC has shipped over 1,000,000 meals to Haiti, through The United States Navy, Coast Guard, and other humanitarian groups. KAHC has shipped over 14,692 meals to the Dominican Republic, over 648,000 meals to Guatemala, and 108,000 to Baton Rouge, Louisiana as part of Hurricane Katrina relief effort. KAHC has sent 50,000 meals to Ghana, and 405,120 to Kenya Africa. KAHC has also shipped 200,000 meals to the following countries: Panama, Nicaragua, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Tobago, and French Guiana. We have shipped over 70,000 meals to Manila in the Philippine Islands. Finally KAHC has shipped over 1,655,528 meals to local community shelters & food depots in Michigan Indiana and Ohio through distribution channels like Our Lady of Fatima delivery systems.