BY GREG OLIVER,  THE JOURNAL

SENECA - Members of Ascension Episcopal Church on Northampton Road, along with more than 50 community volunteers, recently spent the day packing 10,152 meals for Rise Against Hunger - formerly known as Stop Hunger Now. Tricia Dodge, a member of the church, said more than 40,000 meals have been prepared during the four years the church has participated. "Each meal will feed a family of six and costs us 29 cents," Dodge said. "The organization asks us to provide about 40 volunteers to accomplish the task of packing more than 10,000 meals." Dodge said Rise Against Hunger is an international relief organization that distributes food and life-changing aid to the world's most vulnerable, mobilizing the necessary resources to end hunger by 2030. The meals will be sent to one or more of the 73 countries the international organization serves, including Haiti and Peru. This year, Dodge said heavy rains and flooding left half of those countries in a state of emergency.  In 1998, a United Methodist minister named Ray Buchanan founded Stop Hunger Now, and the organization was rebranded as Rise Against Hunger in 2017. During its 19-year history, the organization has enlisted volunteers to produce millions of nutritious meals annually to in-country partners around the world that are working to serve communities. Through a careful monitoring process, the organization ensures the meals distributed by its partners are used as a tool to change lives by promoting education, improving students' health and nutrition, addressing gender inequalities, stimulating economic growth and fighting child labor. Rise Against Hunger meals are provided in schools to encourage increased enrollment and attendance. For adults in community empowerment programs, the provision of meals offsets productive time lost while attending training sessions. Meals distributed in hospitals and clinics may support the nutritional needs of patients and complement their treatments. The organization also seeks to address hunger by bolstering agricultural programs and incomes through programs promoting improved agricultural methods, business skills and market access. That includes training and access to quality seeds and fertilizers, as well as supporting the establishment of fish and livestock production to diversify diets and improve nutritional outcomes. Because one in three people in the world are affected by vitamin and mineral deficiencies, Rise Against Hunger meals are designed to provide an array of micro nutrients. The meals include enriched rice, soy protein, dried vegetables and 23 essential vitamins and nutrients. Among the emergency relief initiatives in which Rise Against Hunger was able to respond in recent years include treatment for severe acute malnutrition in South Sudan and food and hygiene kit distributions in response to Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Harvey. Dodge credited Liz Metzger, a former parishioner and outreach chairwoman, for working diligently to bring the Rise Against Hunger effort to the church. Metzger worked for Rise Against Hunger for three years before passing away in April. A memorial service was held last week at Ascension to honor her memory. "She had a passion for feeding people who did not have the resources to feed themselves," Dodge said. For more information on Rise Against Hunger, go to riseagainsthunger.org.