Million Meals Paddle: The Gift of Giving Back

Scholars of Sustenance or SOS is a food rescue non-profit organization based in Indonesia and Thailand that aims to provide the people of Bali in the lowest economic communities access to food.

The goal is to help Balinese people who have struggled financially since the start of the COVID19 pandemic. Through crowdfunding and collecting food from food outlets, struggling Balinese will now have resources for their much-needed daily nutrition.

Bali and Tourism

Bali’s economy is based on tourism which 80% of the overall economy is from the visitors who fell in love with the island. With the serious effects of the COVID19 pandemic, Bali has been in the state of lockdown and locals are struggling to get by.

With travel restrictions, international tourists are barred from entering the island. As a result, hundreds of locals are left with no jobs and no income which leave them inadequate means to provide food on their table.

Apart from Bali being a surfing mecca, its warm people and glorious beauty have captivated the hearts of many travelers across the globe. But with COVID19 still very present and the absence of tourists, this tiny part of the globe and its people are deeply hurt and may even die from hunger.

The Million Meals Paddle

Paddlers will endure the 10KM route from Pantai Jerman Kuta to Old Man’s Canggu. The general public can also show their support by registering through the Million Meals Paddle website and will be given a customized crowdfunding campaign which will be posted using their personal social media accounts.

The best surf-related paddlers from all over the world joined together last October 25, 2020, for the first ever million meals paddle event. The success of the event was through the efforts of SOS, paddlers, and those who simply want to give back to Bali.

The Scholars of Sustenance (SOS) was able to raise 900 million IDR. The money will be used to provide food for those in need.

Isolated villages in the Northeast of Bali are also part of the beneficiaries through the large-scale village outreach facilitated by the SOS team.

Bali has made millions of surfers and regular tourists happy and in today’s challenging moments, it is now time to give back.