A Tanzanian girl hugs a bag of meals packed in Le Mars during the Kids Against Hunger Drive at Gehlen Catholic Schools. 80,000 meals packed in Le Mars were delivered to an African orphanage, a school and several villages there. [Click to enlarge]

In late August, 80,000 meals packed by students and adults at Gehlen Catholic School reached their final destination: an orphanage and a school in Tanzania.

Children at Momma Lynn's Orphanage in Moshi, Tanzania, will be well-fed for some time. The orphanage received 66 boxes -- 14,256 meals.

But the impact didn't stop there.

The remaining 65,744 meals were taken to a drought-devastated village called Nkungi where they were divided between a secondary school there and the Ilunda Ward, which includes five more villages.

Red tape had slowed down the arrival of the meals, which packaged here during the Kids Against Hunger drive May 12 then shipped to Tanzania in June.

"After many customs problems in the port of Dar Es Salaam, a government official intervened and released our food shipment," said Richard Seivert, who helped mastermind the packing event in the spring.

The other 101,200 meals that were packed at Gehlen on May 12 by the 330 students and 120 adults are currently en-route for Honduras.

They left for the Central American country Sept. 8, and when they arrive they'll be divided betweena malnutrition center in Sulaco and the Xicaque people of Montaņa de la Flor.

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Gehlen plans to continue the Kids Against Hunger program this school year.