Danforth Center First World Food Day Commemoration Produced 355,000 Meals

Online, October 29, 2010 (Newswire.com) - In two days, with the help of 1,900 St. Louis volunteers, the Danforth Center surpassed its goal of 200,000 meals in response to World Food Day on October 15 and 16 by making 355,000 meals for malnourished people living in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The startling fact of a child dies every six seconds from malnutrition and related illnesses according to reports by the World Health Organization, inspired the community to package meals for World Food Day.

The Center's first World Food Day commemoration kicked off with Dr. William Danforth banging the gong signaling food packaging volunteers to begin converting thousands of pounds of Missouri rice, soy protein, dried vegetables and vitamins into meal packages for the critically malnourished people living in Tanzania Africa.

"Our focus during World Food Day was to feed the hungry now but the Danforth Plant Science Center's long term goals are to improve nutrition, end starvation and preserve and enhance the environment," said William H. Danforth, chair, Danforth Plant Science Center. "The support of the community for this event was remarkable and demonstrated genuine compassion for others."

Teams of adults and children as young as seven from schools, families, community organizations, and businesses packaged food in assembly line formation at the Danforth Center and at BRDG Park. Following their one hour packaging session, participants were invited to take a Science Highlight tour of the Center and its greenhouses, meet members of the international team and explore the long-term health and hunger solutions that drive much of the Center's research; fortification of crops to make them not only more nutritious but more plentiful and resistant to disease and drought conditions.

On Friday, October 15 dozens of local high school students organized by the Center's Jr. Board of Directors participated in a late night packaging rally from 9 p.m. to midnight. Music by African drummers and the Pink Leaf band kept energy high. The Jr. Board's goal for the event, Rally for a Cause, was to package 50,000 meals but they exceeded expectations and wrapped up the night with 61,000 meals pushing Center over its goal of 200,000 meals by the end of the first day.

Saturday the work continued and hundreds of volunteers packaged to the beat of African music and working in teams to make meals for people they would never meet but who desperately needed their help. The event brought recognition that each person could make a difference and contribute to the effort. Volunteers were appreciative of the opportunity to help as well as the chance to learn more about how researchers working at the Danforth Center work to end hunger for the long term.

Not wanting to overlook the hungry here at home, participants were encouraged to bring canned food for donation to the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry and the St. Louis Area Food Bank.

The World Food Day commemoration was supported with additional events including BioScience Day at the Ballpark on Sept. 19 hosted by the St. Louis Cardinals, a food sampling event at Plaza Frontenac featuring chefs from Busch's Grove and Post-Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan who lead a food packaging team of Jr. Board members.

Several area corporations and families sponsored the event including, "First Course" Sponsors: Bunge, Commerce Bank, Drury Inns, Hager Companies, Plaza Frontenac, Sauce Magazine, Schnuck Markets and Smurfit Stone. "PlaceSetter" Sponsors: AT&T, Edward Jones, Edwards-Medlin Farms, Monsanto, Stifel Financial, St. Louis Cardinals, US Bank. "Head of the Table" Sponsors: Boeing, Novus and Maître d" Sponsors: The Danforth Family, The McDonnell Family.

About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research at the Danforth Center will feed the hungry and improve human health, preserve and renew the environment, and enhance the St. Louis region and Missouri as a world center for plant science. The Center's work is funded through competitive grants and contract revenue from many sources, including the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center invites you to visit its new website, www.danforthcenter.org, featuring interactive information on the Center's scientists, news and research, including the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels, the Center for Advanced Biofuel Research, and the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts. Public education outreach, RSS feeds and the brand-new "Roots & Shoots" blog help keep visitors up to date with Center's current operations and areas of research.

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