Rise Against Hunger

Rise Against Hunger is an international hunger-relief nonprofit organization formerly known as Stop Hunger Now. Founded in the United States in 1998 by United Methodist minister Ray Buchanan and tax specialist and entrepreneur John Hewitt, the organization was created around a volunteer-led model for addressing hunger and poverty. Its work combines direct food assistance with programs intended to improve education, health, livelihoods, and local resilience. The organization began its large-scale meal-packaging program in 2005. Volunteer groups from faith communities, schools, corporations, civic clubs, and other organizations assemble shelf-stable meals in organized events. A standard meal combines rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and a micronutrient flavoring mix containing essential vitamins and minerals. The packaged food is then distributed through in-country partners and development programs. The meals are used in settings such as school-feeding programs, early-childhood initiatives, vocational-training projects, orphanages, and medical clinics. The organization has stated that most of its meals support development-oriented programs rather than being reserved solely for emergency relief. Rise Against Hunger describes its operating model through four connected pathways: nourishing lives, responding to emergencies, empowering communities, and growing the movement. Nourishing-lives programs use food assistance alongside education, skills training, health services, and social-safety-net support. Partnerships with schools are intended to improve attendance and learning, while work with clinics and vocational institutions connects nutrition with healthy living and economic opportunity. Emergency response is another major part of the organization’s work. Through local and international partners, Rise Against Hunger provides food and basic aid after disasters, conflict, displacement, floods, droughts, and political crises. Reported responses have included the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Syrian and South Sudanese conflicts, Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017, the Venezuelan refugee crisis, and Hurricane Dorian in 2019. The organization has described reserving a portion of projected meals for crisis situations so that food can be released when existing supply chains and livelihoods are disrupted. Its community-empowerment work seeks longer-term reductions in food insecurity. Agricultural initiatives may provide farmers with improved seeds, fertilizer access, farming knowledge, crop-diversification support, and connections to markets. Income-generating and vocational programs are intended to improve earning capacity and make food access more dependable. The organization also provides grants or direct financial assistance to partner organizations in developing countries for food, medicines, and other essential needs. Working through local partners allows assistance to be adapted to local conditions and can support local economies and self-reliance. The movement-building component turns hunger relief into a participation and advocacy program. Meal-packaging events give volunteers a practical way to contribute while increasing awareness of hunger-related issues. Rise Against Hunger also encourages supporters to advocate for policy, systems, and attitudinal changes associated with its goal of ending hunger in the current generation and contributing to the global objective of ending hunger by 2030. The organization reports mobilizing more than 400,000 volunteers annually. Its present identity reflects an expansion from the earlier Stop Hunger Now name toward a broader model linking food distribution, emergency assistance, community development, and public engagement.

Rise Against Hunger was established in 1998 in the United States under the name Stop Hunger Now. Its founders were Ray Buchanan, a United Methodist minister, and John Hewitt, a tax specialist and entrepreneur. From the beginning, the organization focused on engaging ordinary people in practical efforts to address hunger, rather than treating food insecurity solely as a matter for governments or large relief agencies. Its model connected volunteer participation with international distribution and local development work. A major operational turning point came in 2005, when the organization began its meal-packaging program. Volunteer events bring together participants from religious communities, schools, companies, civic organizations, and other groups. Participants assemble shelf-stable packages containing rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and a fortified flavoring mix with essential vitamins and minerals. The completed packages are shipped or allocated through partner organizations serving people affected by poverty, hunger, disasters, and displacement. The food is designed for storage and has a reported shelf life of approximately two years. Food distribution is only one part of the organization’s stated approach. Rise Against Hunger uses meals to support school-feeding, early-childhood development, vocational education, orphanage, and medical-clinic programs. These partnerships connect immediate nutrition with longer-term outcomes such as improved school attendance, skills development, health, and the ability to escape persistent poverty. The organization also works with local groups that understand community conditions and can integrate food aid with existing services. Emergency response became an important part of the organization’s international activity. When disasters, conflict, drought, floods, or political instability damage markets and livelihoods, Rise Against Hunger works with in-country partners to provide food and other basic assistance. Its reported response portfolio includes the 2010 Haiti earthquake; the Syrian and South Sudanese conflicts; Hurricane Matthew in 2016; Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017; the Venezuelan refugee crisis; and Hurricane Dorian in 2019. The organization has stated that it reserves a portion of expected meals for crisis response, allowing some capacity to remain available when urgent needs arise. The organization’s longer-term programming is organized around community empowerment. Agricultural projects support farmers with improved production methods, seeds, fertilizer access, crop diversification, business skills, and market connections. This work is intended to raise household incomes and improve the reliability of local food supplies. Vocational training and income-generating programs pursue similar goals for people whose limited employment opportunities make regular access to food difficult. Rise Against Hunger also operates a grant model in which partner organizations receive financial support for food, medicine, and other necessities. This approach can deliver assistance through established local institutions while contributing to local self-reliance. The organization later adopted the Rise Against Hunger name. The rebranding corresponds to a broader mission that includes nourishing lives, responding to emergencies, empowering communities, and growing a global movement. Volunteer packaging remains a central engagement mechanism, but the organization also promotes public awareness and advocacy concerning laws, policies, systems, and attitudes related to hunger. It has reported mobilizing more than 400,000 volunteers annually. Its stated ambition is to help end hunger in the current generation and contribute to the wider goal of ending hunger by 2030.

• 2019

  Hurricane Dorian response

  [1]Rise Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  The organization reported a response to Hurricane Dorian.

• 2017

  Responses to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

  [1]Rise Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  Rise Against Hunger included both hurricanes among its emergency-relief responses.

• 2016

  Hurricane Matthew response

  [1]Rise Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  The organization reported responding to food and humanitarian needs associated with Hurricane Matthew.

• 2010

  Haiti earthquake response

  [1]Rise Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  The organization listed the Haiti earthquake among its emergency-response operations.

• 2005

  Meal-packaging program begins

  [1]Rise Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  The organization launched its volunteer-centered program for assembling shelf-stable, micronutrient-fortified meals for international distribution.

• 1998

  Organization founded as Stop Hunger Now

  [1]Rise Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  Ray Buchanan and John Hewitt founded the hunger-relief organization in the United States under the Stop Hunger Now name.

• Adoption of the Rise Against Hunger name

  [1]Rise Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org

  The organization moved from the Stop Hunger Now identity to Rise Against Hunger as its public brand.

A volunteer-powered international hunger-relief organization that combines packaged-food distribution with emergency response, education, health, agricultural, livelihood, and advocacy programs.

• Food assistance · 2005

  Shelf-stable rice-and-soy meals

  The organization’s principal packaged food consists of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and a micronutrient flavoring mix. The meals are assembled by volunteers, designed for storage, and distributed through partner programs serving schools, clinics, community projects, and populations affected by emergencies. The package is intended to provide practical nutrition where regular food supply systems are limited.

• Nutrition product · 2005

  Micronutrient flavoring mix

  A fortified seasoning component is included in the meal package to provide essential vitamins and minerals alongside the rice, soy, and vegetables. The formulation is described as having been developed with support from the Kraft Heinz Company Foundation. It helps make the packaged food more nutritionally useful in school-feeding and humanitarian settings.

• Humanitarian relief

  Emergency food assistance

  Rise Against Hunger allocates food and related assistance for crises in which disasters, conflict, displacement, drought, floods, or political instability interrupt access to food and income. Delivery is generally conducted with in-country partner organizations that can identify affected communities and connect food supplies with immediate relief operations.

• Community development

  Agricultural and livelihood support

  Longer-term programs support agricultural production, crop diversification, farming practices, access to seeds and fertilizer, business skills, vocational training, and market participation. The objective is to improve household income and food security rather than relying only on recurring food distributions.

• Grantmaking

  Partner grants

  The organization provides direct financial assistance to partner organizations in developing countries for food, medicines, and other basic necessities. Grant support enables local groups to continue ongoing programs and can provide a faster response during emergencies by using organizations already operating in affected communities.

• Volunteer meal-packaging events

  United States · International

  Community, faith-based, school, corporate, and civic groups assemble shelf-stable meals for distribution through hunger-relief and development partners.

  Outcome. The program mobilizes volunteers and supplies meals to development, nutrition, and emergency initiatives.

  Source
• Growing the movement

  Global

  A movement-building program links volunteer participation, hunger awareness, and advocacy intended to influence policies and systems associated with food insecurity.

  Outcome. The organization reports mobilizing more than 400,000 volunteers each year and seeks broader public commitment to ending hunger.

  Source

• 2005

  Launch of the meal-packaging programProduct launch

  Background

  The organization sought a scalable way to involve volunteers while producing food suitable for international distribution.

  Action taken

  It introduced organized assembly of rice-and-soy meals containing dehydrated vegetables and a micronutrient mix.

  Aftermath

  Meal packaging became a central mechanism for volunteer engagement and food delivery.

  Source

• Expand from food distribution to integrated hunger reliefStrategy

  Background

  The organization’s stated approach addresses hunger through nutrition, emergency response, community empowerment, and movement building.

  Action taken

  It combined packaged-food distribution with school, health, vocational, agricultural, livelihood, grantmaking, and advocacy programs.

  Aftermath

  The broader model positioned the organization as a hunger-relief and community-development network rather than only a meal distributor.

  Source

• Adopt the Rise Against Hunger brandStrategy

  Background

  The organization formerly operated under the Stop Hunger Now name and developed programs extending beyond packaged meals.

  Action taken

  It adopted Rise Against Hunger as its public identity and framed its work around ending hunger through several complementary pathways.

  Aftermath

  Stop Hunger Now remains an alias for the organization, while Rise Against Hunger is the canonical current identity.

  Source

• 2021-02-22

  Rise Against Hunger launches It Starts With a Meal[2]Rise Against Hunger发起“It Starts With a Meal”活动prweb.com

  Reported: 2021-02-22

  Rise Against Hunger announced the launch of It Starts With a Meal, a national, multi-channel campaign encouraging individuals and corporations to take action to help end global hunger. Red Star Yeast is a supporting sponsor.

1. 1Rise Against Hungeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Rise Against Hunger发起“It Starts With a Meal”活动prweb.com