Volunteers pack 8,000 Easter food boxes

Mountaire Farms, a poultry processing company headquartered in Millsboro, gathered volunteers on a rainy March 23 to pack 8,000 food boxes during its annual Easter for Thousands distribution program at its Selbyville warehouse.

Dozens of volunteers manned four assembly lines to pack boxes with a meal to feed four people, including a Mountaire roaster, corn, peas, carrots, apple sauce, yams, mashed potatoes, gravy and a brownie mix. In all, the boxes will feed 32,000 people on Delmarva. The boxes were picked up by preregistered churches and nonprofits to be taken back to their communities.

The event is one of three Mountaire puts on each year, with others taking place at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year marked the 29th year for Thanksgiving for Thousands, which was the first event. Over the three events, more than 25,000 food boxes are packed and distributed, feeding 100,000 people.

Easter packing events also took place at three locations in North Carolina, totaling another 12,000 food boxes for a grand total of 20,000, feeding 80,000 people.