Church to pack meals for hungry

When people come together to help feed the hungry, they also feed themselves.

That’s the lesson Hollie and Charles Gregory learned when they traveled to a food packaging event in the Midwest some years back. When they got to the worship center, they found members of various sororities and fraternities, ROTC, and faith organizations at their side, helping package meals to feed the hungry in Haiti.

Hollie Gregory had been to Haiti. She had learned first-hand about the country’s desperate situation. Some 70 percent of Haiti’s population is undernourished. Infants and children suffer the most.

The food packaging event was sponsored by Lifeline, a Christian mission organization.

Charles Gregory was so inspired by the experience that he planned to arrange a food packaging event here in Cabarrus County. His own trip to Haiti strengthened his resolve.

“I can’t tell you how many children were coming up to ask me for food because they were hungry. It’s just so hard to see that,” Gregory said. “My heart is toward helping these folks out in Haiti.”

So Gregory and the folks at Concord Christian Church will devote the first weekend in February to mustering the manpower to package meals. A 40-foot container will provide the raw materials for some 300,000 meals.

“The food that we are packaging is given out on a weekly basis,” Gregory said. “Each bag is six servings. ... Each meal consists of rice with soy and vegetables and some flavoring in a powdered form. One serving each day will provide about 75 percent of a child’s daily dietary requirement.”

The plan has been in the works for almost a year.

The church also has to raise the money to pay for the food. The church needs $48,000 and has raised almost $30,000.

Making a donation is just one way folks can help and easily accomplished online at the church’s website, www.concordchristianchurch.org. Gregory also is looking for volunteers.

“It’s a great opportunity for folks who want to do something but can’t leave the country to help out,” he said.

Some area school groups have volunteered, and Scout troops may also be there.

“The one thing that stuck in my mind over the years was this,” Gregory said. “When we packed at the worship center, I saw people of all ages helping out, from children at 2 or 3 to folks in their late 70s and 80s. It was a blessing to see the diversity of the folks that came in to help. Sometimes we get caught up in groups and sects, and we don’t realize we can help each other out.”

Folks may be coming to Concord Christian Church to help feed the hungry in Haiti. But they also will feed their souls.