BIG GROUP EFFORT = BIG IMPACT

BIG GROUP EFFORT = BIG IMPACT

Seventy volunteers are needed to pack 10,000 meals from 12 -2:30pm this Sunday, Sept. 13, right after the worship service. This First Baptist Church annual event supports Rise Against Hunger and makes a significant impact, according to event coordinator Nancy Phillips.

This is the ninth year that Nancy has recruited and organized the 70 volunteers of all ages and abilities to help pack 10,000 meals — all within just a few hours.

She asks that volunteers come to the fellowship hall at noon, immediately after the morning worship service ends. Pizza, salad, cookies, and lemonade will be served. Then, the volunteers will receive instructions from the Rise Against Hunger representatives and put on the required hairnets and gloves. Next, the volunteers will be positioned at various stations for a variety of tasks. Some volunteers will fill bags with four different food items. Then, other people will weigh the bags while others seal them shut, and another group will put them in boxes. Next, volunteers will load the boxes on pallets and put them on designated delivery trucks. Other volunteers will replenish supplies.

Nancy said the event is really for volunteers of all ages. In the past, people up into their 90s have volunteered, and children like to volunteer because they are able to help take the baskets from station to station.

“This is a great intergenerational activity that allows our members to be involved with other members they might not meet otherwise, WHILE providing 10,000 meals to people all over the world where it is needed most,” Phillips said.

Rise Against Hunger is an international organization that provides food to places in the world where many people are suffering from food insecurity. Nancy said that the church has been holding this event for at least 12 years, and it was a big celebration two years ago when FBC had reached 100,000 total meals packed for distribution. Around the world, many people suffer the fate of not having access to nutritious meals. As of 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) measured that 645 million people around the world suffered from hunger. For more information about Rise Against Hunger, visit their website.

For more information or to volunteer for the event on Sunday, email Nancy here. - Will Woodson