Dec 21, 2021 | News
WYE MILLS — Over 335,000 fully fortified meals were distributed to local food pantries this week by Rotary District 7630, which comprises Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This was a “Rotary Day of Service” with Meals of Hope where 39 clubs packed meals in five locations around the district with all meals staying locally to fight food insecurity. There were many non-Rotarians that volunteered to help along with Interactors, Rotaract members and Rotary club members. The funds to buy the ingredients provided by Meals of Hope came from Rotary clubs, local community foundations and individuals.
Eight of those local Rotary clubs from the mid-shore area came together inside the auxiliary gymnasium at Chesapeake College, Saturday, Oct. 16, to pack a large portion of Meals of Hope for families in need in the immediate area. The eight Rotary clubs, which were from Kent, Queen Anne’s, Caroline, Talbot and Dorchester counties, packed 100,000 of the dry good meals into boxes.
The Rotary Club of Easton, sponsored 50,000 of those meals by itself in celebration of their recent 100th anniversary of existence.
This is not the first time local Rotary’s have had such events. According the Kent Island Rotary President Brad Lundberg, “We did a much smaller project with the Interact Club at Kent Island High School three years ago. (Interact Club in high schools follow the service patterns of Rotary International). In past years, the food has been sent overseas to third world countries, or prepared for emergency situations from natural disasters to send food to those locations in times of need. This time, all the foods are being distributed to local food banks and food pantries.”
Lundberg continued, “The food pantries have told us they’re not in dire need right now, but we all know that will change over the next two months, as prices continue to increase, not only at stores, but especially rising gasoline prices, fuel oil prices, etc. The need will come. All of the foods are packaged with expiration dates and directions on how to cook the foods. Most of the foods last up to a year, and some last up to two-years.”
Lundberg concluded, “We were all very pleased with the turnout of volunteers this past Saturday.” The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self”.
May 14, 2021 | News
ASHLAND It was a bit of a party atmosphere at Greenup County High School, when students and other volunteers got together to assemble meals to be distributed throughout the community.
There was music, bells ringing and cheers when a box of meals was completed and sealed.
There also was a sense of community.
“It’s a good cause, to help people,” Chase Adkins, a senior at the school, said. “It makes you feel good about yourself because you’re helping others.”
Food came from Meals of Hope, a Florida-based food-packing agency with the goal of helping communities to feed residents with nutritious meals.
Social studies teacher Jill Armstrong, who is the advisor of the social studies honor society Rho Kappa, said she heard about Meals of Hope when attending a conference. She worked on bringing it to the school along with Carrie Davis, who advises the school’s Future Farmers of America chapter. They got in touch with Meals of Hope and it was a matter of time — and fundraising.
Armstrong said she’s not sure what the final total of their fundraising efforts was, but more than $9,000, and likely more than $10,000, was raised.
“What’s left over we will keep for the next time,” Armstrong said, noting she hopes the project will become a regular fixture at the school. “It averages out to 27 cents a meal.”
Schools in Greenup had “quarter wars” to raise money, managed by Greenup County High School’s student council with advisor Kameron Greenslate; winners were treated to treats from Chick-fil-A after students raised more than $3,000.
Meals of Hope offers five meal options. Armstrong said they chose pasta with tomato sauce.
“They have what they call a protein powder. It would almost remind you of uncooked oats,” Armstrong said. “You put it in the sauce to help supplement an unbalanced diet.”
Meals of Hope brought the supplies to the school, which arranged 12 tables in an assemby-line-style setup, which Armstrong said was extremely efficient.
“Student table leaders showed those at their tables how to do it,” she said, noting there were about 140 volunteers and the meals were packed for distribution in less than two hours.
“It was the most unreal experience ever,” Armstrong said. “It was fun. It didn’t really feel like work, and you know your work is going to help someone in the area. It might be someone you’re sitting in class with or someone you ride the bus with or someone you walk past in the mall.”
She said there were plans to package meals before the COVID-19 pandemic hit; the restrictions put it on hold, but she said she stayed in contact with Meals of Hope and once restrictions were loosed, they got back at it.
Meals went to a variety of destinations: churches, youth service centers and Armstrong said she believes Facing Hunger received some.
Meals of Hope typically gives $800 to organizations that raise $12,000; Greenup County High School was short by about $2,000, but Meals of Hope decided to give $400 in memory of Madison Blair, the 18-year-old student and Future Farmers of America member who was killed in a car accident in April.
“I’m so proud of our students and our district and the businesses that contributed so much more than we expected,” she said, adding the sense of community, service and leadership students gained by participating was invaluable. “We’re overwhelmed and grateful.”
May 14, 2021 | News
PONTIAC, Ill. — Less than half an hour into a food packaging event she organized, Libby Larkin jumped up on a cooler high enough to see all her volunteers to congratulate them for already reaching 5,000 meals.
They knew they still had a long way to go to meet her goal of packaging 50,000 meals for local schools, daycares and food pantries, but volunteers cheered her on because they knew this 15-year-old powerhouse leader was going to make her goal.
Wearing a patriotic mask, blue rubber gloves, an FFA t-shirt and jeans, Libby went from table to table, making sure all the volunteers had what they needed.
She solved any problems as the volunteers put together almost 24,000 macaroni and cheese meals in the morning alone.
In the afternoon, volunteers packaged more than 26,000 cinnamon-diced apple oatmeal meals designed to provide an entire day’s nutrition.
“Sometimes one meal is all they will get in a day,” Libby said.
In all, about 150 volunteers packaged more than 50,400 meals on March 20 for people in this community in east central Illinois.
Leon Sporrer, event coordinator for Meals of Hope, the organization Libby worked with, has worked in 35 states for the group, which takes a hands-on approach to fighting hunger. It partners with volunteers who package the meals designed for extra nutritional value.
Sporrer has coordinated dozens of events like this, “but never one organized by a 15-year-old,” he said. “She’s beyond my favorite.”
Libby even wrote the grant, and it was approved on her first try, he said of the funding that made the event possible.
He was impressed with what a girl not even old enough to have her driver’s license could accomplish.
Together, the $10,000 Compeer Finances’ Fund for Rural America grant she received plus $2,500 she raised from local businesses and community members, funded the more than 50,000 meals.
The Pontiac Township High School sophomore, who is active in FFA, Key Club and 4-H, first developed an understanding of food needs when she was in grade school and helped with a 4-H project. After helping with a food pantry packing event in Bloomington, she was determined to do more.
“I always know where my next meal is coming from, but, unfortunately, not all kids do. Hunger is closer to home than many people realize,” she wrote in an appeal for volunteers. “Until I became involved with food packaging events, I didn’t know how many kids in my own community face hunger and food insecurity and do not have nutritious meals on a daily basis.”
Last year, hunger became a bigger problem for children who had been receiving free and reduced cost lunches at school, when schools switched to remote learning at least part of the time during pandemic restrictions, Libby said.
The meals put together at her event will go to schools, Boys & Girls Clubs and church food pantries in Livingston County.
“I want to help kids in my own community,” she said at the event.
It was clear that a number of her friends felt the same way, as dozens of teenagers helped with the work. The youth factor was evident with FFA, Key Club, 4-H members and friends from student council and sports teams all measuring and packaging together. They were joined by community members —from preschoolers to seniors.
It was certainly a family affair too, with her parents, grandmother and brother all playing a role. Libby’s brother works for Precision Planting in Pontiac, where the event was held. But she secured the venue — the large new Precision Technology Institute building just off Interstate 55 — by talking with Jason Webster, the lead agronomist at the institute.
The ag company donated the space for the effort, she said. It seemed the perfect place to assemble food, in a building that is all about agriculture.
“It’s pretty amazing to see how much she gets involved,” said her father, Dale Larkin, a parts manager at Stoller. He also farms about 600 acres of corn and soybeans.
Her mom Jenny, business manager at Institute for Human Resources, and her grandma Penny Lauritzen, recently named to Hall of Fame for the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and known for her support of youth and rural issues, were packers but also helped get the word out about Libby’s project.
“Grandma is Libby’s biggest fan,” her dad said.
Like her family, Libby sees herself in a future career related to agriculture in a role that helps people.
She, in turn, inspires those younger than she is. Emmett Richardson, at age four one of the youngest volunteers, became an expert label sticker by the end of the morning. He worked side by side with his mom, Kayla Harder, and his dad, Jared Richardson.
“Libby is our next door neighbor. She’s a helper so we do what we can to help her,” Harder said.
Nov 20, 2019 | News
Meals of Hope volunteer, Nicole Hood, was recently honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Florida Collier-Lee Chapter.
Volunteer Nicole’s spirit of service embodies Meals of Hope’s mission to end hunger in Southwest Florida. Not only has Nicole volunteered by helping those in need at Meals of Hope’s food pantries four times a week since 2014, she purchases food on her own to share with people living in Naples’ HUD and Section 8 housing. Nicole’s selfless dedication to teamwork and serving others is an inspiration to all at Meals of Hope.
Bobbi Bird, Community Relations Manager for Meals of Hope said “Nicole was one of only 14 ‘Distinguished Volunteers’ out of the more than 1,000 nominations submitted in this category. Nicole has endeared herself to her co-volunteers and pantry recipients, taking the time to talk to them and ‘be a friend.’ She is one of our most dedicated volunteers, working all 4 days we have Pantry trucks, and believe me, when it’s raining or 100+ degrees in the shade, or even without extraordinary weather conditions, this is not a ‘placeholder’ jobs, our volunteers work hard and they work together! Nicole was nominated by Judy Martin our Volunteer Coordinator and Food Pantry Manager with President Steve Popper’s unconditional support!”
Congratulations Nicole!
Apr 17, 2019 | News
We are always so thankful for the support we receive from Future Farmers of America (FFA) groups across the country. Another FFA group was in action again on April 8, packing meals as part of a South Dakota FFA Living to Serve Day.
The South Dakota FFA joined DuPont Pioneer staff to pack 50,580 fortified macaroni and cheese meals that will be distributed through Feeding South Dakota.
Sandy Osterday, S.D. FFA Foundation president said to the Brookings Register, “The FFA organization believes strongly in the fourth line of the FFA motto ‘Living to Serve,’ which is why we are very excited to receive grants from Pioneer and the National FFA as well as day of event manpower assistance and interaction from DuPont Pioneer staff.
“The past few years we have incorporated a community service event into our annual South Dakota FFA state convention. The event gives students the opportunity to work together with FFA members from across the state to make items that will help those in need, the grants allowed us to surpass our goal and have our most successful event since we started the Day of Service project. Knowing we are helping those in need across our state is a great feeling.”
We are incredibly grateful for the time, effort and thoughtfulness South Dakota FFA and DuPont Pioneer staff put into this great event. We cannot achieve our mission to end hunger alone!
For more information, please read this article in the Brookings Register:
https://brookingsregister.com/article/ffa-members-package-50580-meals-during-living-to-serve-day
Jan 29, 2019 | News
I’m writing today to share how Meals of Hope helped me change my life — and to ask you to support others like me.
A couple of years ago I went through some really tough financial times. I was laid off from my job, had some unexpected medical bills, and literally did not know how I would get my next meal. I was very depressed.
I heard about a local organization that gives free food every week at Lely Presbyterian Church*. I went to the church the next Monday afternoon and saw the Meals of Hope truck and people were setting up tables and putting out the food. I was embarrassed to find myself in this position as I had always paid my own way, but now, I needed help. I quietly got into line and waited for my turn to select food.
For the next several weeks my family and I relied almost solely on Meals of Hope for food, which allowed me get back on my feet financially.
My family and I now find ourselves in a much more positive situation. I have a job, we have a roof over our heads, and my children don’t have to wonder about where they will get their next meal.
I thank Meals of Hope for all they have done for me and my family.
Sincerely,
Tom
*The Lely Presbyterian Church pantry (110 St. Andrews Blvd., Naples) is open every Monday from 3:30-5:30 p.m. We also provide pantry services at these four locations throughout the week:
Monday/Lunes/Lendi
River Park Recreation Center
301 11th Street N.
4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Volunteers/Voluntarios/Volonte
ARRIVE at/LLEGAR a/ARRIVE nan 3:00
Tuesday/Martes/Lendi
Greater Naples YMCA
5450 YMCA Rd.
3 p.m.-5 p.m.
Volunteers/Voluntarios/Volonte
ARRIVE at/LLEGAR a/ARRIVE nan 2:00
Thursday/Jueves/Lendi
Golden Gate Senior Center
4898 Coronado Pkwy.
2 p.m.-4 p.m.
Volunteers/Voluntarios/Volonte
ARRIVE/LLEGAR a/ARRIVE nan 1:00
Questions?
Please call/Preguntas: por favor llame/Kesyon: Tanpri rele
Judy at 239-596-8990, Ext. 103