Kids who volunteer with Kids Against Hunger learn that no matter how young they may be, they can make a difference. They help to create and distribute nutrition-packed meals for hungry children all over the world.

Richard Proudfit, a Minnesota businessman, founded the organization after traveling to Honduras on a hurricane relief mission where he witnessed widespread starvation. He came back home determined to do something. Since then, he and his volunteers have delivered 20 million meals…

Proudfit gained the support and know-how of food scientists at Cargill, Pillsbury, General Mills, and Archer Daniels Midland to develop nutritionally hefty meals that would combat malnutrition as well as hunger. The chosen ingredients included protein, rice and vitamins. Approximately 20 million of these meals have been shipped to 32 countries so far.

The Kids Against Hunger program began as a small locally based effort to help package the meals for Proudfit's Feeding Children International. However, before long, the idea of kids helping other kids to combat hunger grew in popularity and local branches of Kids Against Hunger have sprung up all over the country.

One local group is based in Brighton, Iowa, and was founded by Don Fields. Fields says that the children in the program are being positively impacted by making a difference in others' lives. Fifteen-year-old Brianna, a member of the Iowa branch of Kids Against Hunger, says, "It's really fun to know you are making a difference in the world" (MSNBC).

Currently, there are more than 20 packaging groups for Kids Against Hunger across the country who help to ship meals to starving children. There are more than 40, 000 volunteers for Kids Against Hunger who have packed approximately 9 million servings of food that will be sent to people in need.

In 2006 alone, Kids Against Hunger sent meals to 11 countries, and in recent months, it has sent meals to Niger, India, Haiti, Honduras, the Philippines and local food banks in Minnesota. Also in recent months, Project Handclasp (a partnership with the U.S. Navy) has distributed meals to Central and South America.

If you know a group that can help with the Kids Against Hunger project, please visit the Feeding Children International Web site. For a list of domestic and international satellite branches of Kids Against Hunger or to start your own local branch, please visit www.feedingchildren.org.