Staff Join Forces to Fight Hunger

As part of a company-wide volunteering initiative, Erongo Marine Enterprises (EME) joined hands with Oceana Group employees and Rise Against Hunger Africa to pack nutrient-rich meal packets aimed at combating malnutrition in vulnerable communities.

During a fast-paced 80-minute session held on 19 June 2024 at the Walvis Bay Civic Centre, 72 volunteers – including EME staff, suppliers, and stakeholders – packed 1,762 meal packets, each designed to feed an average of six people. That’s a total of 10,572 individual meals prepared in just over an hour. EME plans to double this achievement and pack 20,000 meals at the 2025 event which will take place in July, contributing to Oceana’s group-wide target of 300,000 meals.

The event formed part of the Oceana Group’s "Volunteering with Purpose" programme, rolled out across its subsidiaries in celebration of Mandela Month. While the initiative has been running in South Africa and the United States for years – packing 90,000 meals in 2023 alone – this event marked the first year Namibia participated.

In a show of collective goodwill, EME also invited suppliers to participate. Coastal Engineering Services responded by not only volunteering but also donating canned fish worth N$5,000, which was distributed alongside the meal packets. The meals, supplemented with Lucky Star pilchards, were delivered to feeding centres in the greater Uis region and Walvis Bay.

Rise Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organisation known for its engaging, high-impact meal-packing events. By involving employees, suppliers, and stakeholders, the EME and Oceana partnership demonstrates how corporate social responsibility can drive meaningful change – addressing immediate hunger while supporting broader community health and development goals.