HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — A River Road congregation spent nearly two and a half hours Saturday packing tens of thousands of meals for people in some of the world's most food-insecure regions.
Second Baptist Church hosted Rise Against Hunger, an international nonprofit focused on combating food insecurity through nutrition, education and economic sustainability.
With 300 volunteers — a mix of church members and community members — participants filled bags, stuffed buckets and packed boxes of rice, soy, vegetables and vitamins.
Rev. Tom Mitchell, Second Baptist's minister of discipleship and missions, said the scale of what a few hours of effort can accomplish is remarkable.
"The amazing thing is that we can contribute two and a half hours today, and yet impact a whole school full of children for an entire school year," Mitchell said.
By the end of the morning, the group had packed 50,100 meals.
"We all came together today to pack 50,100 meals," Mitchell said.
Shiela Russ, who works with Rise Against Hunger, said her role is to connect organizations with a tangible way to serve.
"I have the opportunity to help organizations like Second Baptist, other churches, corporations, schools, civic groups to find a tangible way that they can really make a difference in the world," Russ said.
Russ said the meals — packed with rice, soy, vegetables and vitamins — are designed to be nutritionally complete on their own, which is critical for the communities that will receive them. Many of those communities also face challenges with clean water, agriculture and pre- and post-natal care.
"If this is all they have, they can still get everything that they need," Russ said.
Mitchell said the work resonated deeply with the volunteers.
"We know what it's like to be hungry, but not in the way they do," Mitchell said.
Russ described the moment the packed meals leave the volunteers' hands as meaningful.
"The next hands that are going to touch these meals are the hands of people who need them," Russ said.
Though solving world hunger is not a one-day effort, Russ said she is proud of the difference Saturday's volunteers made.
For Mitchell, the event was less an obligation than a privilege.
"This is something I get to do, not something I have to do," Mitchell said.
He added that he would gladly make it a daily routine.
"Don't tell my boss, but I would pay to do this job," Mitchell laughed.
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