Hunger does not take a break, children who do not have enough food get sick, recover slower, are hospitalized more often. They also have behavioral, emotional, academic problems that impact society. Hunger affects all of us.
“For the cost of a $5 latte, you can feed 20 hungry children. For $25 and a couple of hours of your time, you can feed 100 children - and virtually everyone would make that choice once or twice a year if available to them.”
Mitch Portugal is organizing a fundraiser for Feed 6 in December. In previous years we participated in the meal packing event hosted by the chamber at the Hilton. More than 200 volunteers packed over 10,000 meals.
Due to the pandemic, the program has come up with a concept called “Pantry Pack.” This effort will ship boxes and food items to volunteer’s home, who will assemble the boxes and pack them and return them to a location to be yet determined. It looks like the pantry boxes will be going to a food bank in Lake County.
We will need 11 volunteers from our club to pack, and perhaps as a group on Zoom. Stay tuned for details regarding the date and time from Mitch, the first 11 responding will participate.
From the Feed 6 website:
Meal packaging has never been easier or safer! Now you and your family, friends, or colleagues can package hundreds of meals for food-insecure neighbors safely at your home or office. Outreach ships you 4 delicious, nutritious meal varieties, already pre-bagged and the pantry boxes come as flats. Simply assemble the pantry pack boxes and place 7 meal bags in each… 2 apple-cinnamon oatmeal, 2 deluxe mac & cheese, 2 rice and beans, and 1 tomato-basil pasta. Each bag contains 6 meal portions - for a total of 42 per Pack. All you need are gloves.
Now comes the fun! Make each Pantry Pack special - adding little touches, small gifts, cards, photos, inspiring messages, seasonal ornamentations, perhaps even decorating the box with crayon or sharpie art, or adding something tasty from your own pantry - essentially using the Pantry Box as a blank canvass for imaginatively expressing your creativity and giving heart - and rendering each box a work of art.
Throw a Virtual 'Pantry Pack Party’: Power up your volunteer experience by linking to other Pantry Packers in your family, at your church, school, or office, or in your social network through a ZOOM Pantry Packing Party! Create some very special holiday memories with others on-line.
Deliver the Goods: Select your favorite local charity, food pantry, church, school, or community service organization - and then arrange for delivery or pick-up. Surprise some family, child, senior, or veteran with your heart-filled gift of nutrition.
NOTE: Mitch will be emailing the club with the information and the first 11 to reply will be in. For more details about the organization their site is http://www.feed6.org/