St. Louis based Meds and Food for Kids celebrated its 20th anniversary of fighting food insecurity around the globe on June 8, 2023, at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton.
Meds and Food produces ready-to-use therapeutic food [RUTF], which is portable, has a lengthy shelf life, and doesn’t require refrigeration or clean water.
Its effort supports the United Nations’ goal to eliminate hunger worldwide by 2030.
“A malnourished, stunted child anywhere is a stunted, malnourished child that we should collectively care about,” said keynote speaker Roger Thurow, a Senior Fellow for the global agriculture and food policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs
“A lost chance of greatness for any one child becomes a lost chance of greatness for all.”
Dr. Will Ross, MD, MPH, and Alumni Endowed Professor of Medicine, Nephrology, and Associate Dean for Diversity at Washington University School of Medicine said during the event “we already have a solution that saves starving children.”
Ross serves on the Meds and Foods Board of Directors.
Thurow, a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal for 30 years and author of three books on international hunger, discussed the plight of Haiti during his remarks.
“Many have said Haiti is on the brink of a civil war,” he said.
“But against all odds, Meds and Food for Kids has gone from street grinders to [having] a state-of-the-art factory operating on solar [power] and with an international certification for food safety. This has resulted in saving the lives of more than 7000,000 children. None of this was easy, but with the commitment of donors, volunteers, and partners, they have saved lives.”
