1995 World Cup Winner Chester Williams joins Feed Me campaign

‘Feeding the nation …. One plate at a time.’ That’s the motto that the Eden Lions Club of George has chosen for their dynamic new campaign, which aims to put a plate of food on the table of as many hungry South Africans as possible.

The Eden Lions Club, based in George, is a member of Lions Clubs International, the largest service organization in the world, known for its many local and international humanitarian projects, such as providing international aid to countries affected by disasters, as was the case in Japan after the recent devastating earthquakes.

Scientists have found that children who went hungry on a regular basis were 2½ times more likely to have poor overall health 10 to 15 years later, compared with those who never had to go without food!

That statement in itself should provide more than enough reason for each and every South African to mobilise against the greatest enemy facing our Nation – HUNGER! From complicated medical conditions to crime … the root of all this evil is found in the fact that too many people on our doorstep are suffering from hunger each and every day.

The Eden Lions Club has taken the reigns in encouraging ALL Lions Clubs in South Africa to tackle this scourge head-on, in a project known as the Lions ‘FEED ME’ campaign.

The success of the ‘FEED ME’ campaign centres around the sale of a plastic plate, which has been specifically designed for this purpose. Lions Clubs across South Africa will be selling these plates to the public. The plate, embossed with the International Lions Clubs Fundraising Seal, and the words ‘FEED ME’, will be sold at a nominal amount of only R10. Profits from sales will be ploughed into feeding schemes across the country.

Many Lions Clubs will also be joining hands with the international ‘Stop Hunger Now’ organisation in order to source nutritionally-balanced meals. These meal packs consist of rice, soya, soup mix vegetables and various nutrients. For every plate sold, 3 nutritious meal packs can be provided, as it costs only R2 to create 1 meal.

The ‘Stop Hunger Now’ organisation is driven by a vision to end world hunger in our lifetime and a mission to provide food and life-saving aid to the world’s most destitute and hungry in the most sustainable, efficient and effective manner. Stop Hunger Now’s meal packaging programme has provided more than 20 million meals. The meals are packaged by volunteers through a fun and engaging assembly line process. A team of 40 volunteers can package 10 000 meals in just two hours.

The beauty of the ‘FEED ME’ campaign is its sustainability. The sale of the plates is an on-going project, which means that funds will continually be ploughed into feeding those in need. Because Lions clubs are run by volunteers, ALL proceeds go directly into the project itself and no money is used for salaries, vehicles, etc.

Many Lions clubs have also opted to distribute plates to crèches, soup kitchens and other feeding schemes in their area, which will become regular beneficiaries of food parcels.

In order to gain maximum exposure and greatest chance of success, the Eden Lions has embarked on a national awareness campaign involving the media and celebrity endorsements. SA Idols winner of 2010, Elvis Blue, is the patron of the FEED ME campaign and many more celebrities have already bought their plates and added their autographs to special ‘gold’ plates, to be used to market the concept to the general public. To date, each and every celebrity approached has been extremely supportive and more than willing to endorse the FEED ME campaign. For more information and photographs, see the campaign’s Facebook Group to be found under: “ Lions Feed Me Campaign”

The Lions are calling on all businesses and individuals to pledge their support to help make this campaign an on-going success! We can feed the Nation – one plate at a time! Let’s fight hunger together!

For further project information, contact coordinator: Carl van Blerk on 082 826 0731 (www.edenlions.org.za )