What is Hunger Relief International?
Hunger Relief International is an organization founded by experienced professionals with over 70 years of collective experience in humanitarian relief and development in the non-profit world.
Hunger Relief International was born of a desire to effect substantial and lasting change in the lives of children, their families and communities.
What type of nutritional support does Hunger Relief International provide to children?
The food we provide is all natural, highly nutritious, satisfying and will positively impact children’s growth and nutritional wellbeing. Staples include rice, beans, lentils, soy protein, pasta, vegetables and vitamins and minerals.
All HRI food is delicious, easy to prepare and nutritionally complete.
Is the food imported?
All of the food that Hunger Relief International provides to children and their families is locally produced in the country or region in which we are working. A critical component of our work is to support and strengthen the local economies. Through the purchase of locally produced goods, HRI creates stable markets for these farmers.
How does in-country production support the local economy?
Just think of the increased income for farmers who can now sell their produce on a much greater scale, the jobs created when a bagging facility is operated in country, the drivers hired to transport the food from the local plant to communities and partners around the country.
Why does it matter where the food is produced?
Local production saves a substantial amount of money. When the food is produced in the United States, 45 cents of every dollar stays in the U.S. as cost and profit overhead. An additional 18 cents on every dollar is spent on the cost of ocean transport (getting the food from a U.S. port to a port in or near the country of destination).
Producing the food in the countries in which we work eliminates those two major costs, resulting in an additional 63 cents of every dollar going to actual assistance for the families intended. Every dollar donated to HRI goes 63% further in actual food assistance than food produced in the U.S., shipped thousands of miles which will also incur import taxes and fees.
You talk about partners in the field? How does that work?
While our mission is to ease hunger and food insecurity, we look for partners with the expertise to address the other critical challenges facing the community. These may include clean water, sanitation, access to education and health care, income generating activities, micro-credit opportunities, shelter and spiritual development.
Who are Hunger Relief International’s™ partners?
HRI partners include churches, schools, foundations, businesses, philanthropists, non-governmental organizations and others that have the expertise and desire to work alongside us in the field. Our partners have the same commitment as HRI to implement positive, long term and sustainable development in the countries and communities in which we are working.
How is this approach different than what everyone else is doing?
This is a holistic approach to identifying and addressing the needs of individuals, families and communities rather than simply providing a handout of food. Our goal is to create self-sustaining communities all across the world by providing lasting solutions that will stem the tide of generational poverty.
We do not create dependency simply by providing food assistance, rather we strive to create real independence and self-sustainability by providing knowledge and resources, in other words teaching people how to feed themselves.
Why is this approach important?
At the 2009 G8 Summit, world leaders agreed that more funds are needed to foster in-country development and long-term sustainability, as this is the only true antidote to the world hunger crisis.
How can I become involved in your efforts?
- You can make a donation on our website by clicking here or by using the donate button in the menu.
- You can spread the message to your friends, family, civic groups, churches, business associations and others.
- You can organize a group fundraiser through your school, church, friends, etc. Your donations will be used to support economies around the world through the local production and distribution of highly nutritious food to hungry and food insecure children and their families. In addition, your donations support our efforts to address the critical challenges of access to clean water, sanitation, education, and health care, to name a few.
- You can raise funds for a specific project – the construction of a school or latrines, a water well, a health center – the options are endless.
- You can promote Hunger Relief International on your Facebook, MySpace and Twitter pages – start a revolution of true humanitarian solutions.
