Latest news with #RiseAgainstHunger
IOL News
21-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Rise Against Hunger's campaign to pack 2. 5 million meals
Several companies took part in the Rise Against Hunger's meal-packing event in Durban on Mandela Day. Image: Leon Lestrade Independent Newspapers Rise Against Hunger Africa's Mandela Day campaign this year is a national initiative spanning 25 days with the goal of packing 2.5 million nutritious meals. This ambitious undertaking aims to support 225 Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres across South Africa for a full year, reinforcing the vital link between proper nutrition and early childhood education. The organisation said, rooted in the spirit of Nelson Mandela's enduring legacy of service and social justice, the campaign encourages corporates to dedicate their time and resources to uplift underprivileged communities. The initiative invited South Africans to dedicate 67 minutes of their time in service, aligning with the spirit of Mandela Day and its global call to action. Corporate teams participated in coordinated meal-packing events across six major cities, directly supporting food security and education for the country's most vulnerable children. The Mercury and Independent Media staff also participated in the meal packing event. Image: Leon Lestrade Independent Newspapers Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ In Durban, there was a vibrant atmosphere at The Station venue on Friday, where teams from various companies set up production lines and got busy packing meals. Kim Carrington, Rise Against Hunger KZN Regional Branch Manager, said 220,656 meals were packed on Mandela Day at the Durban event. Several corporates took part including Absa, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Sibaya Casino, Shoprite Checkers, Liberty, NMI DSM and SA Home Loans. The Mercury also had a team at the event. 'It was a spectacular day and we made a huge impact on reaching our goal of packing 2.5 million meals in 25 days. The campaign goes on even after Mandela Day; we work with corporates throughout the year. 'We can host team building meal packing events at their premises and they receive a Section 18A certificate for their contribution.' Carrington explained that for ECD centres, providing meals for children can be their biggest expense; therefore, Rise Against Hunger steps in to provide nutritious meals which also allows the centres to save money for other needs. She said they encourage the centres to use the savings to improve infrastructure, upskill staff or buy educational resources so they reach a point where they can sustain themselves and get registered with their government, which allows them to receive grants. THE MERCURY
The Citizen
18-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Corporate South Africa unites to pack 650 000 meals on Mandela Day
In a remarkable display of compassion and corporate citizenship, over 3 500 volunteers from across South Africa's business sector came together at the Sandton Convention Centre on Mandela Day to pack 650 000 meals. This large-scale initiative, led by non-profit organisation Rise Against Hunger Africa, will directly support over 78 500 children in Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres across the country. Read more: From volunteer to CEO, Kim expands smiles The annual Mandela Day event is the largest of its kind for Rise Against Hunger Africa, engaging employees from major financial institutions such as ABSA, Standard Bank, and Nedbank, as well as numerous insurance and other corporate entities. Rise Against Hunger Africa CEO Brian Nell said, 'Our goal today is to pack 650 000 meals, that's enough to provide five nutritious meals a week to 2 860 children for an entire year while they attend their ECDs. 'It's not just about feeding kids, it's about helping them learn, grow, and thrive during their most critical developmental years.' While Mandela Day sees a large collective effort, Rise Against Hunger Africa operates year-round, supplying monthly food deliveries to over 720 ECD centres nationwide. The meals are specially designed to meet the nutritional needs of young children and are delivered consistently by the non-profit's distribution team and partner organisations. 'We've built a system where meals are delivered regularly, and every meal has a one-year shelf life. Our impact isn't just measured in meals, but in better educational outcomes and healthier, happier children.' Throughout the year, Rise Against Hunger hosts smaller meal-packing events at various company premises, creating hands-on volunteering opportunities for employees and integrating Corporate Social Investment (CSI) into daily business culture. 'Corporate South Africa rocks – without them, we wouldn't be able to do what we do. These companies aren't just donating for tax breaks anymore. They're involved, they're present, and they're changing lives.' Among the key partners in this year's Mandela Day activation was ABSA Group. Their team contributed significantly across four regions: Gauteng, KZN, Western Cape, and Free State, packing over 71 000 meals. Manager Colleague Volunteering and Social Impact Response at ABSA, Zintle Zhazia, said, 'This initiative aligns with our strategy of being a force for good in the communities we serve. 'Food security is a major issue in our country, and we believe that by bringing our colleagues along to participate and give back, we are actively contributing to long-term social impact.' Zhazia emphasised that Rise Against Hunger's collaborative model is key to lasting impact. 'By working with multiple corporations, Rise Against Hunger creates a shared value approach that strengthens communities and maximises support for young children in ECDs.' Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration! At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Georgetown food drive sends meals around the world
Food packaged at a Georgetown community event will travel around the world. The event packed over 80,000 meals that will be sent to an educational facility in South Sudan. Last year, they sent about 71,000 meals to Zambia. The Saturday, March 8, event at Sussex Central High School, was attended by around 360 volunteers. This is the event's third year, and the food donations are shipped abroad by Rise Against Hunger's Philadelphia chapter. It's an international organization that packages over 57 million meals in 2023. This annual day of giving back, "Feeding the 5,000 Multiplied," is done with the support of numerous local churches and organizations. It's 40 cents per meal and about $32,000 to put it all together. Money comes from local churches and nonprofits, and meals land in schools and in rural areas. Rise Against Hunger's overall goal is to send over 2.7 million meals this year. The Sussex County event is a "big contributor," according to RAH area manager Stone McDavid. According to data from the World Health Organization, 1 in 11 people experience hunger worldwide. "This is one small way that our Sussex County community can have an impact on that particular dynamic," said Mike Hall, co-facilitator of the event with Judy Hall. Being able to feed people is not the only benefit for Hall. Watching hundreds of people from different backgrounds working for the same cause gives him hope. Mike and Judy Hall are a part of the Grace United Methodist Church in Millsboro as a member of its mission and impact team. For six years, they packed around 20,000 meals within the church. In 2022, they figured it was time to open it up to the larger community. "Some of us come from the faith community. Some come from the business community; some from the civic community and clubs and organizations," Mike Hall said. "We're all here together around one purpose." Mike Hall said raising money is always difficult, and finding local balance between feeding global hunger and feeding people in Delaware is challenging. Half of the money raised through their church's mission goes to assisting the Food Bank of Delaware, he said. "People will say, 'Well, so, so what are you doing to meet people's needs locally?'" Hall said. "So that's where, at least at our church, we try to balance those things as much as we possibly can." The process is similar to an assembly line. They use foods and vitamins including dehydrated vegetables, rice and other nonperishables that are packed before they are weighed, sealed, labeled and boxed and sent to Philadelphia, where 280,000 meals will be enough to fill a shipping container. The container is then loaded onto a ship and delivered by sea. "This is an event where people will stand for most of three hours, but at the ceiling and the weighing stations, people can be seated and at those particular events, and then we need a few strong, strong bodies that can lift 50-pound bags of rice and soy," Hall said. Judy Hall said volunteers put in so much effort at these food packaging, they are worn out by the end of the day. 'We change each other's lives': How volunteering at Food Bank impacts Delaware woman "They get tapped out," she said. "So you find yourself asking the same people, but in the back of your mind, you're thinking, 'Gosh, they gave so much last year. I need to find someone else.'" The volunteers are the last people to touch the food before it is opened at their end destination. "Everyone at this event, their hands are the last hands to touch these meals before they get to these remote areas and these school feeding programs all over the world," McDavid said. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Georgetown food drive packs over 80,000 meals
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rise Against Hunger volunteers package 25,000 meals at First Christian Church
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Charity can be a small gesture or a grand one. First Christian Church prefers the latter. Hundreds of volunteers packed and shipped 25,000 meals to people in need around the world for Rise Against Hunger. According to Rise Against Hunger Area Manager Marshay Love, the church's efforts wouldn't have been possible without their donations. PREVIOUS: WF church to package thousands of meals for worldwide distribution 'The volunteers are funding it,' Love said. 'The volunteers are funneling it into and then putting it into the meal bag, and their hands are literally the last hands to touch the meals before they get over to their receiving community.' Each meal bag has the same ingredients; scoops of rice, soy, freeze-dried fruits, and vitamins, all meant to be boiled in a pot. After they're shipped, they can become something entirely new depending on their destination. 'Sometimes in the Philippines, they'll put yams and different types of potatoes and stuff with the meals just to give them more heartiness and just make it a little bit more bulky while also adding to it that cultural spin,' Love said. Over the last six years, First Christian Church has sent over 125,000 meals to people in need. Each year, the church's senior minister Dr. Mark Bender, and the rest of the church got the packing down to a science. 'We've got the youngest kids helping. We've got our oldest folks in and participating wherever they are,' Bender said. 'And we've got people who could not stand for long periods of time, they have a role to play as well.' LOCAL NEWS: ENJJPT program at Sheppard AFB molding lives of future pilots Nationalities of all kinds played a part too. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Rosenkrands with the Royal Danish Air Force was invited to take part as he is staying at Sheppard Air Force Base with the ENJJPT course. 'Honestly, packing a box of food here and giving it to somebody that needs it, it really doesn't matter if it's local or regional or global. I think it's just important we get it out there,' Rosenkrands said. Once packed up, the meals are shipped to one of nearly 80 countries. The 25,000 packed today will go to Burundi in central Africa. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
