At Stop Hunger Now, we depend on strong partnerships to help us provide relief in times of need and to support the well-being of those in need. From donating goods to volunteering time, our partners allow us to swiftly get aid on the ground — even in some of the most remote regions on Earth.
For example, on World Food Day, October 16th, 2014, SanDisk Corporation teamed up with Stop Hunger Now in Shanghai, China to provide much needed food and help to local disaster victims following an August earthquake. As a result of their amazing efforts that day, SanDisk employees packaged 315,000 meals, offering much-needed hunger aid to those affected by the earthquake.
On August 3, 2014, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolted southwestern Yunnan province in China, causing thousands of buildings to collapse and leading to the loss of hundreds of lives. The earthquake triggered multiple landslides that blocked rivers, roads and paths. The disaster killed at least 617 people and injured some 3,000 more. A total of 1.1 million people were affected with nearly 200,000 houses destroyed or heavily damaged. Losses throughout the province reached 61 billion yuan (9.91 billion USD).
Spurred by the tragedy, our partner Feed the Hungry Hong Kong took action. They found that in the most remote and mountainous corners of the province, reachable only by foot, the victims were being forgotten and were struggling to survive. “We were told they had nothing to eat, no clean water, many died in the earthquake, many more houses collapsed, school was empty, children and teachers lost their school,” reported Armanda da Roza, Executive Director of Feed the Hungry Hong Kong. “The villages were more like ghost towns.”
Immediately, Feed the Hungry gathered and distributed 600 kg of rice and 65 bottles of oil to attend to the urgent, debilitating hunger of the villagers.
On October 15th & 16th, over 600 SanDisk China employees convened to provide an additional, astounding 315,000 nutrient-rich meals — 660 boxes slated for the decimated and nearly impenetrable mountain communities in Ludian and 800 boxes of food for the extremely impoverished people of WuShang, Shangtung. “Every minute [of the six hours packaging meals] was worth it when staff learned how much a small packet meant for the hungry,” recounted Armanda.
In the absence of roads, the meals were stacked on the backs of volunteers who trekked across the mountain passes on foot to reach those in need. With shelters destroyed and the onset of winter imminent, the volunteers also stowed the meals, hundreds of fleece blankets and boxes of winter clothing for the children. 600 families received at least 1 box of meals to sustain them as they rebuild their homes and their lives.
Only through partners like SanDisk and their ongoing commitment to eliminating global hunger are we able to provide the food and aid needed to heal hurting villages like Ludian in the wake of disaster. “This is at the heart of SanDisk, and an inherent part of what it means to be a SanDisk employee,” remarked Gisela Bushey, Director of the SanDisk Foundation at SanDisk.
“Working together, we can support those in desperate need of food and shelter” says Rod Brooks, CEO of Stop Hunger Now. “Our partnership with SanDisk has helped us reach thousands of lives, supporting our movement to end hunger.”