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Volunteers Rise Against Hunger

Grace United Methodist Church leads effort to pack more than 100,000 meals
The first shift of more than 150 volunteers works an assembly line to make food packets during the Rise Against Hunger event March 4 at Sussex Central High School. RON MACARTHUR PHOTOS
Ron MacArthur
March 9, 2023

More than 250 volunteers worked nearly nonstop March 4 to prepare and pack more than 100,000 meals to support Rise Against Hunger during a six-hour event at Sussex Central High School near Georgetown.

RAH is an international food distribution program delivering meals to people in need in 12 countries. The organization also responds to emergencies and disasters, and empowers communities with training and support to make them self-sustaining.

Mike Hall, an organizer from Grace United Methodist Church in Millsboro, said the church’s mission and outreach team had sponsored RAH events within the church.

“We reached out to the faith-based community and civic organizations to involve a lot more people this year,” he said.

Hall said the church led a fundraising effort of $39,000 to support the event and purchase the raw materials of rice, soy and vitamins used in the meal packets. Mountaire, Community Bank and four county Rotary clubs made donations, with $19,000 coming from the church mission budget and member donations.

The volunteers created an assembly line to mix, weigh, seal, label and pack the meals in boxes.

For more information, go to www.riseagainsthunger.org.

 

Two shifts of volunteers made 100,000 vitamin-enriched food packets to support the International Rise Against Hunger project.
Volunteers affix labels to the packets before they are packed in shipping boxes.
Mike Hall, Grace United Methodist Church organizer, said the mission and outreach team decided to expand its efforts and do a county-wide, meal-packing event.
Linda Veleber, a member of Grace United Methodist Church, makes sure a food pack weighs between 379 and 384 grams.
Jack Riddle and his wife, Susan, join with other volunteers to fill meal packets. Community Bank, where Riddle is president and chief lending officer, was one of the major sponsors of the RAH event.
4-H member Jacob Bradshaw carries a tub loaded with food packets.
Raw materials for the food packets include rice, soy and vitamins that are shipped to those in need in 12 countries around the world.
Weighing and sealing the meal packets must take place before the packets can be boxed.
Matt Williams of Rehoboth Beach is the last man in the assembly line as he loads packets into boxes for shipping.
Sussex Central High School students Ashley Durasky, left, and Mary Villareal are busy keeping the assembly line going.
Volunteer Angeline Cruzmaria has lots of food packs to weigh.
Deborah Nauman of Laurel is among those sealing the packs before they can be packed for shipping.
Volunteer Cortez Moore of Millsboro prepares to seal a box filled with food packs.
Rice, soy and vitamins are mixed into each meal packet.
Rice is the key ingredient in the vitamin-enriched food packets.

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