April 16, 2024

Kids Against Hunger packaging event planned for July

By Jamee A

Volunteers from churches and organizations such as First United Methodist Church and the Newton Rotary Club work on teams to package food for Jasper County Kids Against Hunger March 7 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Newton. (Kate Malott)

Jasper County Kids Against Hunger will be holding a food packaging event from 9 a.m. to noon July 11 at St. Lukes United Methodist Church, 501 E. 19th St. N.

Several area churches and organization will take part in packaging specialized meals that will travel all over the world to help feed hungry children.

“We’ve been doing this as part of Holy Trinity ministry and part of the community ministry,” Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Rev. Dr. Kenneth H. Ahntholz said.

Ahntholz said since the organization started in the area in 2009, they have put together more than 392,000 meals. A key part of the events is raising money for the meals to be packaged.

“The actual cost is $54 (per box), so we are looking for people to sponsor to keep costs low,” Ahntholz said.

A team of 12 people can package approximately 1,729 meals with six meals in each bag. Each bag travels down an assembly line of volunteers, receiving a portion of each ingredient, and then is sealed, stacked and boxed.

“We anticipate crossing the 400,000 mark of total meals packaged by volunteers since we began holding events in Jasper County,” treasurer of the local chapter, Bill Bennett said.

After the meals leave the event, they can stay as close as local food pantries or travel to areas in Albania, Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Busia, East Africa, Monroubia or Liberia. Jasper County Kids Against Hunger is a wing unit off of the larger Kids Against Hunger Iowa based out of Mt. Pleasant which start in 2003.

The meals sent out by the organization have been formulated by food scientists from Quaker Oats, General Mills and Archer Daniels Midland, according to the Kids Against Hunger website. The meals provide a rich source of easily digestible protein, carbohydrates and vitamins needed by a malnourished child’s body and mind. The food also accommodates to the broad diversity of ethnic tastes and religious differences around the world.

The food consists of high-quality white, long-grain rice, vitamin-fortified, crushed soy, dehydrated blend of six vegetables and chicken-flavored, vegetarian vitamin and mineral powder. The meals are able to be kept for long periods of time before use and only require boiling water for preparation.

The most recent packaging event was held March 7 and had eight teams who packaged 13,864 meals. The final planned event for the year will be in November at Lynnville Friends Church.

People or groups who wish to participate should register by July 3. A donation of $30 per person is asked for to help cover the cost of the food packaging supplies. If you would like to donate directly to the cause donations can be sent to: Jasper County Kids Against Hunger, Attn: Treasurer, 1409 S. 8th Ave. E., Newton, IA 50208.

For more information on Kids Against Hunger or food packaging events, contact Bennett at 641-791-3612 or jasper.co.kah@gmail.com.