Coventry-based international development charity Feed The Hungry has announced plans to bring together local businesses to mark World Food Day on Saturday 16th October. ‘The BIG Food pack’, aims to bring together 32 teams from local businesses, charities, and other organisations across the region to collaborate in sending a shipping container of 285,000 meals to children living below the poverty line in Zimbabwe.
‘The BIG Food Pack’ event will be held over six days in October and hopes to see businesses come together in teams of ten people to take up the challenge of packing as much food as they can over a two-hour shift, in addition to making a financial contribution to enable the container to reach Zimbabwe.
Hunger and food insecurity have increased dramatically in Zimbabwe during COVID with 2.4 million people in urban areas struggling to meet their basic food needs. The need continues to grow as Zimbabwe remains in a severe lockdown. It is estimated that 38,000 children are currently suffering from acute malnutrition and 4.1milllion children are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance due to food insecurity and other health and safety concerns.
Director of Feed The Hungry, Gwyn Williams, says,
Over the last year, we have seen people from across Coventry and Warwickshire step up and help those most in need locally. As a charity, we are acutely aware of the devastating impact COVID continues to have in communities across the world, and even as our own lockdown ends, we are excited to see the local business community engage with Feed The Hungry’s mission to feed vulnerable children across the world.
Food packing involves taking raw, dry ingredients – rice, soya, lentils and micronutrients – and putting them together in meal bags. These are then sealed, boxed, palletised, and sent by freight to one of Feed The Hungry’s trusted partners around the world. Teams work together to pack everything needed, but also helps businesses build their social responsibility programmes and camaraderie among staff.
More information here: www.fth.org.uk/big-food-pack
Image credit: Feed the Hungry