Volunteers ready to pack 300,000 meals for hungry kids in Honduras

Canterbury United Methodist Church will host Rise Against Hunger, formerly known as Stop Hunger Now, an event Feb. 11-13 that will pack 300,000 meals to feed hungry children in Honduras.

Canterbury United Methodist Church will be packing meals Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to be sent to feed hungry children in Honduras.

"We do need volunteers of all ages," said Rachel Estes, director of outreach and missions at Canterbury United Methodist Church. "There are shifts that offer child care."

Rise Against Hunger, formerly known as Stop Hunger Now, has been a project of Canterbury United Methodist Church for 8 years. St. Luke's Episcopal Church has co-sponsored the event the past seven years.

Packing begins on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 9 a.m. and continues through Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 1 p.m., at Canterbury United Methodist Church, 350 Overbrook Road in Mountain Brook.

"We'll be packing 300,000 meals," Estes said. "We anticipate that by 10:30 a.m. on Monday we will pack our 3 millionth meal. Over 8 years we will have packed 3 million meals."

Volunteers can sign up on the church's web site, canterburyumc.org, for two-hour time periods.

"We have volunteers from Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, schools, the Islamic Center, churches," Estes said.

Rise Against Hunger works with local communities and schools in needy countries, Estes said.

"People will send their children to school if they know they will get fed," Estes said. "That helps stop the cycle of poverty. Children get not just access to food, they get access to other services including education and health care."

About 1,500 volunteers are needed, Estes said. Advance sign-up is required to make sure that volunteers are spaced out over time as needed.

"Every Friday we have a brown bag grocery ministry that serves 250 families," Estes said. "The people who get groceries always show up to assist in packing meals for people in another country. People look forward to this. The schools begin to call us in August to arrange their buses for the field trip. As long as a shift is open, we want people to sign up and come."

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.