Food Boxes

Help needy families consume more food

Through our nutrition initiative, ADI provides direct food relief for children and families in Nouakchott, the capital city, and in remote towns and villages in Mauritania.

Staff prepare food boxes composed of household food goods that have a stable shelf life.

A typical food box includes:
a pound of dry beans,
two pounds of rice,
a pound of sugar,
two pounds of evaporated milk powder,
canned sardines,
tea,
instant coffee,
a liter of cooking oil,
two bars of locally made soap,
and laundry detergent.

Volunteers and staff share those boxes in a discreet manner with needy families.

Sometimes the same family who received a box is asked to indicate a family who needs a box.

We serve children by giving healthy food to adults. We do not give food directly to children; instead, we seek to empower parents by putting resources into the hands of parents.

The project offers a direct response to undernutrition. When one asks the question, What shall we do in a hungry world? It is a valid response to say, “Something!” By distributing food to families who need food and who struggle to make ends meet, ADI partners are responding to the real world that surrounds us. Sharing something is a valid response to hunger.

We ask volunteers to help us by identifying a family who lives near and who needs more food. Sometimes we ask a public official to help us to identify families within the community who need food.

When a community official shares a list of families who can use a hand up, we often take a photo to show the city official that the food went out. As we distribute to families who have been pre-selected by local community members, we find other additional families who are living in similar conditions. It is a joy to give, and it is a blessing to receive.

When children and adults suffer from undernutrition, the thing to do is to eat more nutritious food. By distributing food boxes, ADI partners help families to consume more food.