Meal Packing

During the event, volunteers will pack four dried ingredients - rice, lentils, dehydrated vegetables and a vitamin packet - in separate plastic pouches and then seal them. Once 36 packages are completed, they will go into a box and the packing will continue.

Shumaker noted that this is the first time that the church has taken part in the program, which is presented by Kids Around the World as part of its OneMeal program. A representative from the nonprofit organization, who is flying in from Texas, will be on hand at the church to explain the process.

“We are setting up 15 assembly lines. Each assembly line will feature two 8-foot tables, and each table will have eight to 10 people,” Shumaker explained. Volunteers will also serve as runners, replenishing rice and other ingredients as needed. “The food will come from a truck in Ohio, which is where the warehouse is. The (dry ingredients) will come in 50-pound bags.”

The goal is to pack 60,000 meals, which can only be accomplished if community members agree to join the effort. “We are packing 60,000 meals in two hours if we have 150 (volunteers). We don’t have enough people just with (congregation members),” noted Shumaker. “This is totally a community outreach. It is something that is wonderful to do.”

Shumaker pointed out that the church held a designer purse bingo in November to fund the cost of the meal ingredients. “We had 175 women there,” she said. “We were only going to do 40,000 (meals), but we raised (enough) for 60,000 meals between bingo and people donating money.”

She said taking part in the meal packing can be a charitable activity for local families to take part in together. “It will be great for kids to get involved. It definitely is a family thing,” said Shumaker. “We want kids to know that for some, this is all the

(food) that they get. It’s important for us to do things like this.”

The packaged food will be picked up on Monday, Feb. 6, and eventually be distributed to children in need in Ecuador. “On average, one person can package about 365 meals in two hours, which means (one person) would pack meals to feed a child for an entire year,” Shumaker added.

Forks of the Brandywine Evangelical Presbyterian Church is located at 1648 Horseshoe Pike (Route 322), Glenmoore. To register for the event, visit www.forkschurch.org and click on the link under “One Meal Food Packing Day” on the left side of the homepage. Walk-ins will also be welcome.

For more information, contact the church office at 610-942-2626 or email shumakers@comcast.net.

Other churches or organizations interested in hosting a meal packing event may visit www.kidsaroundthe world.com/onemeal for more details.

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