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Yellow Boxes of Hope

As high-tech cruise missiles began hammering Taliban forces, low-tech boxes of food began nailing down a hoped-for alliance between the Afghan and American people.

In conjunction with joint U.S. and British air attacks against Taliban facilities in Afghanistan, some 37,000 boxes of Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDR) were airdropped to Afghan refugees.

The food in each package was selected by the Department of Defense to feed and sustain malnourished people during times of battle or natural disaster. The packets were first used in 1993 when they were dropped over isolated parts of Bosnia as part of Operation Provide Promise. Over 8 million ration packages have since dropped to the aid of refugees in Iraq, Cuba, Bosnia, Rwanda and Haiti.

Each package contains two pre-packaged, ready-to-eat meals that are selected by the Department of Defense to be nutritional, culturally-correct and cost-effective. Each 2,200 calorie meal provides the nutritional requirements for one person for one day. In each HDR box, weighing about two pounds, are two vegetarian meals based heavily on lentils, beans and rice, and also complementary items like bread, a fruit bar, a fortified biscuit, peanut butter and spices. Beans with tomatoes, beans and rice, and bean salad are entrees among the five available menus. Each meal has a shelf-life of from 18 to 24 months.

The boxes are bright yellow, and have the words "A Gift From the People of the United States of America" printed in several languages on the outside. The boxes are designed with "wings" that allow them to flutter slowly and safely to the ground.

Along with food, many ration boxes being dropped to Afghan refugees will include a small, self-powered radio, pre-tuned to a station informing the listener to avoid areas of battle and to wait for additional food drops.

Each humanitarian food packet costs about $4.00. Each Tomahawk cruise missile costs about $600,000.

Source: U.S. Department of Defense