Golden Horse Casino rises against hunger!
Two teams of Golden Horse Casino employee volunteers, together with Pietermaritzburg corporates, packed 70 000 meals to feed 318 vulnerable children in support of World Hunger Day on Wednesday, 16 October. Golden Horse was the venue sponsor and also contributed R20,000 towards this very worthy cause through the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Connect Programme.
The meals are highly nutritious and consist of rice, soya, dehydrated vegetable mix and a fortification pack of 23 essential minerals and vitamins specifically formulated to combat malnutrition (complying with UNICEF standards).
Initially operating as Stop Hunger Now, the Rise Against Hunger Africa Hunger Eradication programme celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The programme raises funds for meals, meal packaging events, and the distribution of meals through a results-oriented nutrition programme, ECD Connect. ECD Connect monitors and evaluates the progress of beneficiaries to ensure maximum impact.
Hunger has a highly detrimental effect on children’s efforts to learn. The body slows down physical and mental activities to compensate for the lack of food intake. Hungry children generally lose the desire to play, to study, and to take initiative. General Manager of Golden Horse Casino, Maureen Kivits said, “We’re proud to partner with Rise Against Hunger to actively combat the scourge of poverty and improve children’s chances of a better future. It is important to us. We may not be able to help every child, but we can make a difference in the lives of some of the children, and that’s what counts.”
