Hoosiers Against Hunger
Hoosiers Against Hunger is Elevate’s signature and most popular volunteer engagement program. Hoosiers of all ages from 5 to 95 and all walks of life – corporate teams, faith communities, civic groups, youth organizations, families and friends – are invited to package our highly nutritious, life-saving meals for starving communities abroad and hungry children and families right here in our Hoosier state.
Elevate’s meal packaging events are immensely popular, fun-filled service opportunities that are ideally suited for as few as ten to as many as several thousand volunteers. Elevate Hoosiers Against Hunger meal packs create an experience whereby volunteers are taught how they can make a difference in the lives of the poverty-stricken worldwide.
Meal packaging events are perfect for:
- Corporate team building—engage your entire organization to pack meals together while building team unity and celebrating shared service to the community where you live and work
- Annual business meetings and national or regional conferences. We can accommodate groups as large as 4,000 and we come to your location to facilitate the event!
- Church-wide community service opportunities for families and individuals of all ages
- Parties with a Purpose (birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, annual picnics and other special occasions)
- Civic organizations—a great volunteer opportunity for large groups of volunteers to serve the community together
- Year-round service opportunity for those of all ages and physical abilities.
Meal packaging events are so enthusiastically celebrated and memorable for employees and team members that 98% of corporate and community partners who participate in a meal packaging event return to pack year after year. It often proves to be employees’ favorite aspect of their annual gatherings and a future “must do” for those planning company events. Engage with Elevate in a meal packaging event and you’ll find out why!
About Our Meals
Elevate offers our partners the opportunity to pack three different meal options, which are typically selected based upon the intended recipients for the food aid:
- A highly fortified, protein and vitamin rich rice-soy casserole developed for a global diet;
- A protein-intensified macaroni and cheese meal specially developed for a domestic diet. It is highly popular with hungry children and families in the United States;
- A nutrient enriched, high protein rice and bean meal highly appetizing to domestic recipients as well as those from Latino and Hispanic backgrounds.
All three meals have been developed by our country’s leading food scientists and nutritionists to ensure they provide all the vitamins, protein and nutrients needed to move starving and malnourished children to health and wellness within six months.
Sponsoring a Meal Pack – What You Need to Know
Elevate, with its emphasizes on high-quality customer service, makes it easy and fun to join our Hunger No More Campaign.
You provide the volunteers and cover the cost of the meals you pack and we do the rest – handling logistics, staffing and event management, training your volunteers and distributing the packed meals.
Elevate will come to your preferred location (business, school, church or community venue) to host a sponsored event – across Indiana and anywhere in the United States. We can help you secure a suitable location, too. Our team will travel to your venue for your meal packaging event with a 20,000 meal minimum required within the State of Indiana and a 50,000 meal minimum outside the state.
A typical pack is two hours in duration. However, packs can occur for a duration of time shorter or longer than two hours and can involve multiple shifts to accommodate available space, number of volunteers and time available for each group of volunteers to pack. For your planning purposes, fifty volunteers working for two hours will pack approximately 20,000 meals and 100-110 volunteers packing for two hours will complete 40,000 meals.
Sponsors of meal packing events are responsible for the following costs and equipment:
- Cost of meals packed (with a 20,000 meal minimum within the State of Indiana and 50,000 meal minimum outside of Indiana). Cost per meal is .25 cents for the rice-soy casserole and .30 cents/meal for the mac and cheese and rice and bean meals
- Transport (delivery and pick up) of ingredients, supplies and packaged meals. Typical transportation costs are:
o $300 for events in the greater Indianapolis or greater Fort Wayne communities
o $600 for events in other parts of Indiana
o $750-$1000 for events in other nearby states as well as cost for Elevate staff to travel to venue
- Provision of 8 foot tables for the meal packaging assembly lines along with extension cords and power surges for each line.
Events need to be booked at least 30 days in advance with a preference for 60 days advance scheduling. Payment for meal packs is required 30 days in advance of the event so that ingredients and supplies can be ordered.
For more information about hosting an Elevate meal packing event, please contact Christina Smith at christina@elevateourworld.org. We look forward to serving you!