On Saturday, March 12, over 75 members and friends of Hopewell United Methodist Church came together and packed 10,058 meals for starving people around the world. The Tyrone church began raising funds and awareness for the “Stop Hunger Now” event in the fall of 2010. They raised $2,800, more than enough to pay for the meals. The event began at 10 a.m. and by 11:30 they had completed packing all of the meals.
The meals consisted of rice, dehydrated vegetables, soy based protein, spices and vitamins. When mixed with water, it produces a rather tasty meal.
To lend excitement to the event, a large gong was rung after the completion of every 1,000 meals. The workers stopped momentarily and enthusiastically clapped and yelled. Then it was quickly back to work to finish the task.
The participants worked hard but said they enjoyed the camaraderie and the satisfaction of a job well done.
What’s next for Hopewell? Members are planning to raise enough money to have another event for “Stop Hunger Now.” This time, they say they want to package a million meals. They hope to get community-wide participation to help achieve this goal.
Sharon Pierce, chairperson of Hopewell’s Outreach Committee, said, “The church will be contacting local Tyrone businesses and other churches with suggestions about how they can participate in meeting this goal.”
For more information, contact the church, 770-306-7537.
