Food is helping to change the lives of hungry children in Vietnam. In May, a team from Stop Hunger Now got a first-hand look at the impact on Vietnamese kids of nutritious meals and of the partnerships that deliver those meals to school-feeding programs.
Accompanying the Stop Hunger team on our service trip to Vietnam was Zambrero, the Australia-based Mexican-food restaurant chain that is partnering with Stop Hunger Now through its Plate 4 Plate program, and Children of Vietnam, a Stop Hunger Now in-country partner.
The team visited Da Nang City, a tourist port in central Vietnam, the country’s fourth-largest city, and home to 22,000 families living in poverty, and Quang Nam Province, a poor agricultural province. Children of Vietnam, a partner in efforts in both regions to reduce poverty, is collaborating with Stop Hunger Now and Zambrero on getting food to hungry kids.
The visit included four Stop Hunger Now staff members from our headquarters in Raleigh, N.C., including CEO, Rod Brooks; six representatives of Zambrero, including founder, Sam Prince and CEO, Stuart Cook; and four friends of the Zambrero team.
In Danang, the group visited the office of Children of Vietnam; toured and served lunch at a school for children with disabilities; visited a home for elderly women; delivered Plate 4 Plate meals to 16 partners at the Children of Vietnam warehouse; and visited a center to see how Plate 4 Plate meals are prepared. In Quang Nam Province, the group served meals at one kindergarten, and visited another kindergarten to play with kids and do crafts.
“We at Stop Hunger Now are deeply grateful for the partnership established with Zambrero, whose Plate 4 Plate program is a model for corporate engagement in the effort to end hunger. We are also grateful to Children of Vietnam, whose staff exhibits tremendous compassion for the children we serve and coordinates the meal distribution in Vietnam,” says Rod Brooks.