Lunch Program

2023 UPDATE: Lunch meals in Pala and other areas of Guatemala, provided by Guatemala Village Partners and Rise Against Hunger is  currently paused.  Our contacts to get the shipment to the port are not currently assisting us and the cost for the payment required to enter the meals is not financially liable.

Cary Rotary and Kirk of Kildaire church holds a yearly packing event with Raise Against Hunger at the Kirk of Kildaire Church in Cary, NC.  We strive to pack 100,000 meals every year.

Lunch Meals in Pala:  February 2021

LUNCH PROGRAM:  Jan 2019 update

Approximately 225 meals are being served five days a week to residents of Pala. Those fed include students in school, pre-school children and pregnant women. While meals for the children are important, the vitamin and mineral supplements in the meals are especially helpful to the pre-natal health of pregnant women. 

Preparing the meals is a community effort. Students take turns collecting the wood to fuel the fire to cook the rice. Mothers in the village cook the rice and take the food to the school so students do not have to leave the school facility.

We saw improvements in the appearance of the children, healthier skin, eyes and hair, within the first few months of the meals being introduced. A common observation on this trip was that the children receiving the meals seem taller for their age than what used to be normal. We also noticed that the children are approaching a healthier weight. This is despite Guatemala having the forth highest rate of malnutrition in the world.