This past Sunday, Patrick Henry High School was abuzz with activity as the beat of music pumping and hundreds of people talking and laughing emanated from the expansive cafeteria. Every so often, the clang of a gong sounded and everyone stopped and erupted into a collective cheer.
The gong didn’t sound because someone scored a goal at a sporting event; rather it was letting “Stop Hunger Now” participants know that they were getting closer to their goal of putting together 285,000 meals to be shipped to Haiti. This was the scene at Patrick Henry all day long as groups of volunteers rotated in and out doing their part to meet that goal.
It was St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church’s response to the need they saw in Haiti that began this community wide event. As Jenny Fife at St. Elizabeth’s started to organize her church’s event with Stop Hunger Now, she quickly realized that there were other churches and groups outside the church that wanted to help too. Before long, what started as a single church’s effort to help feed the people of Haiti grew to almost 30 times the size of its original vision.
Stop Hunger Now provides hunger relief in crisis situations as well as school feeding programs all over the world, and has been active in Haiti since 1998. This put them in a uniquely strong position to respond to the massive need as soon as the tragedy hit.
Even before the earthquake, Stop Hunger Now had already slated three million meals to go to Haiti. They have since sent another one million for earthquake relief and are planning to send an additional two million. They strive to be as efficient as possible and because of the extensive volunteer support, Stop Hunger Now is able to provide the pre-packaged meals for around a $1.50 a piece. Each of the 285,000 meals prepared at the event have six servings, so it ends up being 1,710,000 servings at $0.25 each. Not only did the Roanoke community provide the volunteers needed, but it also raised the $70,000 required to cover the cost of raw ingredients.
Their efficiency isn’t limited to how far they can stretch a dollar. It is amazing how smoothly the group expedites the work flow at the food packing events. Area Program Director Troy Henson has a commanding presence along with a driven, yet calm personality, which makes him a perfect fit for leading this type of event. That is a good thing; this last Sunday some 1000-1400 volunteers were rotated in and out from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Every volunteer needed to find their place in the coordinated work force. Jobs included: assembling the packets of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and a flavoring mix with vitamins and minerals; weighing, then sealing the bags; packing the bags into boxes; loading those boxes onto pallets, and then onto the truck.
Participants leave these events knowing they’ve done something real – something tangible. They can see the bags of rice the contributions bought. They see the meals come together, the boxes going onto the truck. They know where the container is heading, and when it’s going to get there. The meals that were just put together here in the Roanoke Valley will be in Haiti in early April. While it’s only part of the many needs the people of Haiti have, it’s a part that participants know they’ve been able help with.
The event also met another need–a human need–the need to be part of something good and bigger than ourselves. Sometimes it’s easy to be proud to be a Roanoker.
By Aaron Kelderhouse [email protected]
