Coming from humble beginnings, Stop Hunger Now is a international non-profit that offers humanitarian aid to children and families that are in need of nutritious meals. Their goal is to stop worldwide hunger one meal at a time.
It all began in 1998. Buchanan, an ordained United Methodist minister, had previous founded and directed the Society of St. Andrew, which offers domestic food relief. Inspired by these local humanitarian efforts, Buchanan decided that his next project should take this local feeding mission to a global scale. Buchanan later teamed up with John Hewitt and together they co-founded Stop Hunger Now, an organization committed to joining the global fight against hunger.
Whether caused by poverty or climate change, hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer from hunger. According to the World Food Programme, 870 million people around the world do not have enough to eat. With roughly seven billion people in world, this means that more than 12 percent of the world’s population is hungry. And research shows that “hunger kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.” In fact, every 3.6 seconds a person dies of starvation.
Fortunately, the vision of Stop Hunger Now is simple: a world without hunger.
They organization collaborate with existing partners and development programs like Alliance for Children Everywhere, coordinating the distribution of food worldwide. Today, Stop Hunger Now has packed over 100 million meal packages (which includes things like rice, soy, and dehydrated vegetables) for 65 countries. The meals go to support families, medical clinics, orphanages, and schools that are need of food.
Stop Hunger Now has also delivered essential aid and disaster relief materials (like medical supplies, clothing and blankets) to those in need in countries like Haiti, Japan, South Africa and Uganda. They have spread their movement, creating university programs, which encourages college students to raise funds and pack meals for those in need. They also have similar programs for companies and faith-based communities.
Would you like to help make a difference? Stop Hunger Now has varying ways for you to get involved from donating, volunteering, hosting a packaging event, or hosting a dinner party. Learn more about the Stop Hunger Now Movement here.