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Packing a Million Meals

Event last week sends food to impoverished countries

Duke student Alison Whitaker packages food at the Million Meals Event.

Alison Whitaker (center), a Duke student athlete on the women's golf team, works with North Carolina Central University Business School faculty Cindy Love (left), Dr. Donna Grant and Alisha Malloy (in pink) during the Million Meals food packaging event at Walker complex North Carolina Central University last week

Duke University, in cooperation with the Durham Rotary Club, North Carolina Central University and the international hunger relief agency Stop Hunger Now, held the second annual Million Meals Service Event as part of the universities' celebration of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.

Volunteers from the four organizations packaged dehydrated, fortified rice-soy meals containing more than 20 vitamins and minerals and boxed them up for distribution to crisis-burdened areas and to school lunch programs for impoverished school children. This year, feeding programs in Haiti will especially benefit from the prepared meals.

During two shifts more than 250 volunteers packaged 75,000 meals. Phail Wynn Jr, vice president for Durham and regional affairs at Duke, and Chancellor Charlie Nelms of NCCU assisted the volunteers.

"This event is a wonderful opportunity for Duke and NCCU students to actively pay tribute to the work of Dr. King through service above self," Wynn said. I am honored to be a part of this work and to witness the enthusiasm of these students to help the underserved across the world."