GEORGETOWN, Del. - Today at Sussex Central High School, volunteers from across Sussex County came together to combat a global issue: food insecurity.
Grace United Methodist Church partnered with nonprofit Rise Against Hunger to hold the meal-packing event for the fourth year in a row.
Neighbors spent six hours packing rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and vitamins into bags that will eventually be sent to communities in need across the globe.
"We've upped the meal count every single year," says Rise Against Hunger area manager Stone Powell-McDavitt. This is his third year working at the Sussex County event. "People can come from all walks of life, all different church denominations, all different aspects of the community, they come together shoulder-to-shoulder."
The 87,439 meals that were packaged today will be sent to a Rise Against Hunger warehouse in Philadelphia, explains Powell-McDavitt. Then, the meals get sent to countries such as Burkina Faso, Singapore, Tanzania, India, and more.
"We enjoy doing it... the community that packed [the meals] are really full of love, we all feel there's camaraderie today," says co-coordinator Judy Hall.
Volunteer Lexi Papa from Wilmington tells WBOC why she came down to Sussex County for this event.
"...you're really helping something that's bigger than yourself, so I think it's important to bring a community together for these type of events," says Papa.