UNC Soccer Programs Help Stop World Hunger
April 27, 2015 | Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Carolina Outreach
The two programs came together and packaged meals that were sent to Nicaragua as part of a total of 285,000 meals sent out to those in need, and support the organization's vision of "a world without hunger."
The UNC student-athletes took on various roles among a chain of duties to package the meals. Each meal consists of rice, soy protein, dried vegetables, and 21 essential vitamins and minerals.
From assembling the meal, weighing and sealing, boxing, and loading, it was a team effort from both the soccer teams.
Jonathan Campbell of men's soccer reflected on the experience, “UNC soccer had the privilege of partnering with Stop the Hunger, which reminded all of us that we are so fortunate, as we often take eating daily for granted. It was alarming to hear about the world hunger statistics, but heartwarming that we made a difference abroad.”
“With all that we are provided here at the University, it's great to be able to share some of our abundance with those in less fortunate circumstances,” said UNC women's soccer's Paige Nielsen. “One of our team's core values talks about being part of “humanity” and so we feel a need to try and help everyone whether they are a friend, neighbor, or total stranger.”
Former UNC soccer standout and assistant coach Geoff Griffin (Class of '76) serves on the board of Stop Hunger Now.
Stop Hunger Now provides over 70 percent of its meals to support transformational development programs such as school feeding programs, vocational training programs, early childhood development programs, orphanages, and medical clinics. Working with these programs helps enhance lives by giving beneficiaries the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty through education, skills development, and health care while also receiving much needed nutrition. Stop Hunger Now's goal is to allocate 80 percent of its meals to transformational development programs by 2015.
Every year, Stop Hunger Now reserves 10 percent of its projected meals to respond right away to crisis situations including natural disasters, conflict and famine. In addition to providing food for crisis relief, Stop Hunger also works to meet the immediate needs of those suffering from hunger. For more information on the organization or how to participate in a meal packaging event, visit: www.stophungernow.org.
