Meals packaged by 140 volunteers at the Rotary Rise Against Hunger event have shipped to the Philippines.
The Rise Against Hunger organization emailed San Marcos Rotary to say that “healthy meals are on their way to a community in urgent need of nutrition.”
The Philippines consists of more than 7,000 islands in the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean. One of the most environmentally disasterprone countries in the world, it faces near constant threats of natural disasters like earthquakes, typhoons and volcanic eruptions, according to Rise Against Hunger.
“These disasters cause displacement and major loss of livelihoods and infrastructure, and disproportionately affect poor communities in rural areas, where people rely on agriculture and fishing.”
The Global Hunger Index, which assesses food insecurity based on indicators that measure undernourishment and undernutrition, categorizes the Philippines as having a “moderate” level of hunger overall. Rise Against Hunger serves the regions of the Philippines where hunger is most urgent.
To address some of the food security challenges that children, families, and communities in the Philippines face, Rise Against Hunger partners with organizations that support educational programs by providing meals to children at schools and early child development centers.
“This is a key part of Rise Against Hunger’s Nourishing Lives pathway,” according to the organization. “In some cases, the food children receive at school will be the majority of the food they eat in a day.”
The meals packaged in San Marcos will help ensure that children have access to the consistent nourishment they need to live healthy lives and successfully pursue their education.”
The October food packaging event was San Marcos Rotary’s fifth partnership with Rise Against Hunger. In prior years food was shipped to Burundi, East Africa, Haiti, and Honduras. Both Rotary and Rise Against Hunger are 501c3 nonprofit organizations.
