KidsCare Meal Packaging

Help Us Assemble 20,000 Meals in 3 hours!

Your congregation is invited to team up with the crew from St. James Lutheran Church, Barrington, RI for a KidsCare Meal Packaging Event on Saturday, March 24th, 2012

Details and Registration

Additional Information

Please join us at
St. James Lutheran Church
49 Middle Highway, Barrington, RI
(401)246-0227 http://stjames-ri.org/

Volunteer for a shift or two!  One hour shifts scheduled from 10:00am -2:00pm.

This is a unique opportunity to work with teams from local organizations and neighboring congregations to help alleviate hunger in our community. In Providence County alone, there are over 108,000 food insecure people; over 38,000 of those are children. KidsCare meals are nutritionally balanced and high in protein and easy enough for an older child or youth to prepare. With a two year shelf-life, they provide stability in the cupboard for a family who may be struggling to keep food on the table. The meals that we package on the 24th will be given to Mobile Loaves & Fishes RI, soup kitchens, and various food pantries in RI and MA for distribution to families in need. Congregations participating in the event are also invited to bring meals back to their church and distribute them with any food assistance that they normally provide to their neighbors.

We need teams of 10-12 volunteers to help us package meals assembly-line style. The teams will put together three different meals; macaroni and cheese, beans and rice, and rice and vegetable casserole. Each meal contains soy protein and a seasoning packet fortified with vitamins and minerals. All meals are vegetarian and made from dry ingredients. The ingredients are measured, weighed, and sealed in plastic bags and packed into boxes for transport. Normally, a team can package at least 1000 meals in one hour. The day will be divided into 3 one hour shifts. Teams may sign up for either one hour or for a total of two hours. We also invite you to join us for lunch, either before or after your shift. There will be pizza, snacks and also a sampling of dishes that can be made with the KidsCare meals. Matthew Martin, the Regional Director for Outreach, Inc.-KidsCare, will be with us to talk about the project and how we can all work together to alleviate hunger in our communities.

This is a great project for children and parents, youth groups, and adults. We do ask that any child under twelve years old be accompanied by an adult and that youth groups have two adult chaperons per team.  We also need volunteers to help with greeting/check-in, set-up, clean-up, and lunch.  Sign up in the Community Room if you can assist with these tasks.  If you would like to join us on Saturday, March 24th, complete the form below with your contact information and indicate your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices for packaging times. Shifts will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. We'll email your team leader shift assignments and project information once your team has been assigned. Hope to see you there!!! 

For more information please contact Kim Bergstrand.