For the third year in a row, volunteers will gather in shifts and don hairnets at The University of Toledo to assemble nearly a quarter of a million meals to feed families in third-world countries Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1-2 in the Health Education Building on Main Campus.

The two-day mobile pack, part of the Feed My Starving Children program, is organized by 90 UT students who are members of the Klar Leadership Academy in the College of Business and Innovation. The academy was founded in 2015 with the support of Steven Klar, a 1971 UT business alumnus and a New York City builder and real estate developer.

More than 1,000 UT students, employees and alumni, as well as teams from companies around Toledo, will split into groups to assemble nutritious rice meals with vegetable blend, vitamins and minerals. The meals are scientifically formulated for undernourished children.

The organizers raised $45,000 and set a goal to build 200,000 meals. Last year volunteers made 173,000 meals.

“The University of Toledo has a global impact, and the students are the driving force behind this incredible initiative to fight hunger worldwide,” said Dr. Clint Longenecker, Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Leadership and Organizational Excellence in the College of Business and Innovation. “The way this event has grown in only three years is a testament to our community’s mission to solve problems and help others.”

The shifts are 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, and 9-11 a.m. and noon-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2.

“Due to overwhelming generosity, the shifts filled up quickly and we are no longer in need of volunteers,” Longenecker said. “In fact, we have a backlog of people who want to join. It’s a great problem to have.”