Approximately 40 Peace College students joined volunteers from area universities and colleges on August 28 to help package one million meals for Stop Hunger Now, a Raleigh-based international hunger relief organization that coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid around the world.

Last year, volunteers from North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, Duke University, North Carolina Central University, Peace College, and University of North Carolina at Wilmington packaged a record-breaking 1,031,776 meals during the University Million Meal Week.

This year, four North Carolina universities will host University Million Meal Event.  Each site will have its own packaging event where students and community volunteers work side by side in assembly lines to package meals.  The week-long event began at NCSU on August 21 and concludes at UNC-CH, ECU on August 28 and UNCW on November 13. 

More than half of the meals packaged will be distributed to earthquake victims in Haiti. "Stop Hunger Now is committed to providing aid to those in Haiti after the current crisis stops making headlines," said Ray Buchanan, president and founder of Stop Hunger Now. "The resounding success of UMMW in the past two years assures us we can do it again.  The scale of this event draws much needed attention to the war against hunger and provides life-saving meals to the world's most destitute," said Ray Buchanan.

Stop Hunger Now's highly nutritious meals include rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and a vitamin-fortified flavoring mix with 21 essential vitamins and minerals.  Each meal costs 25 cents to make.  Stop Hunger Now provides the ingredients with funds from sponsors, contributors and student donations. 

"Our goal is to raise $250,000 to cover the cost of food and packaging materials for this huge event," said Rod Brooks, CEO of Stop Hunger Now.  "We are actively seeking support."

Churches, civic organizations, schools, businesses or individuals interested in helping to package meals or donating to the University Million Meals event should contact Stop Hunger Now at (888) 501-8440 or info@stophungernow.org.

Click here to see more pictures from the event on Peace College's Facebook page.