By Jennifer Taylor
This past December, 6,000 people gathered at 12 packing stations for five days to pack more than 1 million meals for the people of Haiti. Participants packed a specially formulated, fast-cooking, rice-based combination of vitamins, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and other nutrients that provide, in one serving, about 75 percent of a child”s daily requirement for a healthy diet. Lifeline Christian Mission (Westerville, OH) worked with Southland Christian Church (Lexington, KY) to coordinate the event.
Lifeline”s ABC (All Because of Christ) food packaging events are opportunities for churches and organizations to meaningfully address issues of world hunger in a hands-on way that includes people of all ages. Participants gather in groups of five
to funnel the ingredients, weigh and seal the bags, and box them for shipment.
After the event, the completed meals are shipped by truck, train, and boat to Haiti and distributed to dozens of mission groups, including Lifeline”s own schools/children”s homes. The ministry estimates thousands of people receive the meals each week.
Southland broadened the experience beyond its own walls, inviting area groups”” including Girl Scout troops, businesses, police and fire units, local Bible college students,
campus ministries and others””to participate in the packing event. More than
100 construction workers currently building Southland”s new campus even gathered after work one evening to pack 14,000 meals!
Church members also had the opportunity to “follow the food” after it arrived in Haiti. Southland sent a team to help with distribution of the food in the mission field and will share the adventure via video with the thousands of volunteers back home.
Great job, Southland.
Love meeting and working with the “follow the food” team in Haiti.
Kierstein & Jasmyne Almond