Many hands make light work.- John Heywood, 16th century writer
The 50 volunteers at the Sept. 24 Rise Against Hunger event proved the truth of this age-old adage, as they assembled and packaged 10,152 meals in a record time of just 70 minutes. The numbers pack a powerful impact: the highly nutritious meals will be distributed to feed the hungry in the Delaware community, in Houston and Florida as part of the ongoing relief efforts for those affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and to support school feeding programs worldwide. Sponsored by Uday Jani, MD and RISE Fitness, the unique community event represented a very tangible way to make a difference.
From the start, it was sleeves up and hair nets on for the 17 Shore View Personal Care patients who worked alongside Dr. Jani, his staff and family, and volunteers from RISE Fitness. All contributed both money and time to ensure swift packaging of the dehydrated meals, which contain rice, soy, vegetables and 23 essential vitamins and minerals in an easy-to-transport form.
“We all look at images of people in need of the basics most of us take for granted – nutritious meals, water, shelter – and feel saddened and overwhelmed,” said Dr. Jani. “The Rise Against Hunger initiative gave us a chance to come together as a community in a hands-on effort that required more than a simple monetary donation…the food we packed literally went directly from our helping hands to feed thousands of hungry mouths. I am grateful to all who helped us provide this life-changing aid to those who need it most.”
