From right, Will Dempsey, 13, Pastor Sandy Kessinger, Michael Petersen, 15, and Christian Markwart, 13, run around the Lutheran Redeemer Church in McLean Saturday, Oct. 27 to raise money for Stop Hunger Now. Photo by Alex McVeigh.
McLean — As McLean prepares to package 250,000 meals for needy people throughout the world, members of the Lutheran Redeemer Church helped raise funds last weekend for the event. The church hosted a fun run around the parking lot for those in costume Saturday morning, and an opera concert Sunday afternoon.
Saturday, Nov. 10 will be the fourth event McLean has hosted for Stop Hunger now, a nonprofit that provides nutritious, nonperishable meals that are shipped to education-based food programs in countries all around the world. Each meal contains rice, vegetable protein, dried vegetables and a seasoning that contains essential vitamins and minerals.
Volunteers at events are grouped into stations where they sort the rice, vegetables, seasoning and protein into sealable bags, which are then packaged for shipping from a Stop Hunger Now warehouse. Each meal costs approximately 25 cents apiece, and are packaged together in servings of six. Organizers are hoping to raise at least $62,500. The McLean Rotary Club has hosted events that packaged 100,000, 150,000 and 200,000 meals over the past two years.
“We thought we were shooting very high in November 2010 when we went for 100,000 meals, but this community has responded so well it’s made it easy for us to continually aim higher,” said Bob Hahne, a member of the McLean Rotary Club who has organized the past events.
Hahne said they are looking for 900 volunteers for the Nov. 10 event, 300 for each two-hour shift that will start at 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. They are also looking for a cleanup shift from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
In the past, groups from local Boy and Girl Scout Troops, Langley and McLean High Schools, local faith-based organizations and seniors from Vinson Hall have all participated.
“One of the best things about these events is that they bring the entire community together, from the younger children that help refill supplies to the seniors who help seal the bags,” said Pastor Sandy Kessinger of Redeemer Lutheran.
The Nov. 10 event will also be collecting donated nonperishable items for local nonprofit Share. Items in high demand are laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, white rice, coffee, tea, white sugar, canned fruit, canned fruit juice, disposable diapers (in sizes 2, 3, 4 and 5) and personal toiletries such as deodorant, soap, shampoo and feminine hygiene products.
Those interested in donating of volunteering can contact Hahne at 703-790-5319. More information on Stop Hunger Now can be found at www.stophungernow.org.