This guest post was written by Rick Kearney, Stop Hunger Now, Program Director
When I was a kid, I remember learning the the little chant and hand motions, “This is the church, this is the steeple, open the doors, see all the people.” On a recent Sunday in May, I lived out that little rhyme.
As I pulled up to Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, NC, a little white church with a steeple sitting atop the grassy knoll, I felt like I was approaching a scene from a postcard. The setting was beautiful–but not as beautiful as what awaited me inside the church. As the doors opened, 43 volunteers from five similarly small churches filled the downstairs room–a room adorned with beautiful hardwood floors, filled with historic photos and overflowing with enthusiasm.
This event marked the ninth consecutive year that this community has hosted a Stop Hunger Now meal packaging event: Nine years of joining together to support our mission; nine years of building relationships; nine years of growth for Stop Hunger Now. When we held our first event at Asbury United Methodist Church in 2008, Stop Hunger Now was a young meal packaging organization, celebrating as we packaged three million meals that year.
Nine years later, Stop Hunger Now is a global organization, shipping 50 million+ meals each year, funding water and agriculture products and providing millions of dollars worth of medical support around the world. Our success was built upon the support and commitment of communities like Asbury, creating a foundation upon which we built success and continue to impact lives. I’d like to thank Asbury UMC, Bath UMC, Chocowinity UMC, Ware’s Chapel UMC, Wharton Trinity UMC and Campbell’s Creek UMC for their support. Without you, we would not be where we are today.
You don’t have to be part of a big group to have a big impact. Stop Hunger Now has locations in 20 cities across the U.S., and we offer an exciting opportunity to host a meal packaging event at the location of your choice. Visit our Meal Packaging Events page to find out how you can be part of Stop Hunger Now’s global movement to end hunger.