Huge numbers of meals on way to starving families thanks to Leamington and Kenilworth Rotary clubs

Some of the many volunteers at the event

More than 300 volunteers came together at King Henry VIII School in Warwick Road, Coventry, to pack 50,112 meals for the Tackling Hunger project.

Around 250 kilos of food was also donated to the Trussell Trust, while volunteers also donated £1,000 to the food bank for equipment to support their work.

The challenge was organised by the Rotary Clubs of Kenilworth and Leamington Spa Regency along with Rise Against Hunger which co-ordinates the distribution of aid, The Trussell Trust and King Henry VIII School.

Jonathan Miller is the President of the Rotary Club of Kenilworth and co-led on the organisation of the Tackling Hunger event.

He said: “To have made up 50,000 meals is a brilliant effort, so I’d like to say a big thank you to every single volunteer who came along on the day.

“It was fantastic to see so many generations and organisations coming together to help make a difference at a time when the number of people accessing food banks is on the rise.

“The day was a good opportunity to raise awareness of just how many people are going hungry, and will hopefully inspire everybody who attended on the day to help with similar events in the future.

“Such was the success of this event we are already planning to hold another event next year, so watch this space.”

Around 815 million people in the world don’t get the food they need for a healthy life, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

So meals packed on the day were made up of ingredients such as lentils, maze, rice and hydration sachets.

Volunteers who took part included staff from solicitors Band Hatton Button, who also sposnored the event, and volunteers from King Henry VIII School, Campion School, Kenilworth School, the Air and Sea Cadets, Guides and Heart of England Rotary Clubs.

Sarah Jordan, head of marketing and client relations at Band Hatton Button, added: “In addition to providing volunteers, our £1,000 sponsorship of the event has funded more than 4,000 meals.

“The day was a real eye-opener into how serious this issue is, and hopefully as the word spreads, the next event can be even bigger.”