RHS Junior Coordinates Volunteers to Package 23,000 Meals

Students in Redlands dedicated their Sunday morning to packaging meals rather than catching a few extra hours of shut eye to help feed victims of Typhoon Haiyan. About 23,000 meals on Nov. 17 were packaged by more than 100 volunteers from Redlands High School (RHS), many of them students, led by RHS Junior and Cultures for Youth California Chapter founder Anant Pai. Over the summer, Pai sought monetary donations from local businesses, organizations, fellow students, friends and family—and even donated some of his own money—all with the intention of donating the funds to an organization where he knew others would benefit, Pai, 16, explained. Years ago, during a visit to India with his family, he came to a realization. “I saw impoverishment there, and I realized that poverty doesn’t just exist in India. I saw that it’s right here at my doorstep,” Pai, who lives in Redlands, said. “I realized there was something I could do close to home.” Through a friend, Pai learned of Kids for Hunger, a sub-group of the Fundraising with a Purpose organization headed by Director BJ Stavness, and Pai began his fundraising efforts. By the end of the summer, he’d collected $2,500, which he donated to Fundraising with a Purpose to purchase meals for Kids Against Hunger, a national humanitarian food-aid organization that works to end world hunger by donating meals to over 60 countries worldwide. The next step in the equation was gathering volunteers to help package the meals. Pai asked members of the Cultures for Youth Club to participate, and soon found other students and even some parents willing to participate. “In the beginning, I thought it would be really difficult (to get volunteers), but I found that so many were enthusiastic and willing to help,” Pai said. “I found that, as enthused as I was, they were mirroring that. If I was excited about it, so were they.” Volunteers gathered at the Redlands High School cafeteria and spent two and a half hours packaging the 23,000 meals. All were surprised at the swift time they made, shared Pai. “They were having a great time,” said Staveness. “They turned the music on and they were rolling.” When he organized the meal packaging, Pai didn’t know where the food would be distributed, he explained. By Thursday of last week, Staveness was notified where the meals would be going. “I just learned today the meals are going to be distributed in the Philippines,” said Staveness Thursday. Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines earlier this month, leaving some 4,200 dead, according to figures released by the UN on Nov. 16. Figures released from the Philippine Disaster Council show over 12,500 have been injured in the typhoon’s wake. “I was surprised at the success,” Pai said. “At the beginning, I didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but it went so well; it went so smoothly. It just sort of ran.” Pai has a history of volunteer work, something he said he in his youth saw his father, as a member of the San Bernardino Crossroads Rotary, do. “I always saw him doing it, and so I fell into it. I would help him distribute tickets or raise money, too,” Pai said. His mother, Anita, said, “I was quite surprised and very proud of him. In the past, he didn’t want to let his money go; he would say, ‘I want to save it for college,’ but when he put in his own money I thought, he must be growing up and becoming more aware, and I was very supportive of him.” “I’m really proud of Anant,” Stavness said. “He’s a pretty courageous 16-year-old. He’s the first guy I’ve seen do this with that much courage, and it’s very encouraging to see that amongst our kids. Kids are giving back, and that’s pretty incredible.”