Some of my regular followers of my blogs may remember that when I spoke at IBM
While volunteering to help package meals at IBM Interconnect 2016 (285,000+ meals were packaged there, 285,000 meals will fill a whole shipping container), I asked the Stop Hunger Now leaders about how to organize an event with them. I mentioned that our church had done something very similar a few times with a similar organization called GAIN. I asked the SHN leaders if we could do a meal packaging event with Stop Hunger Now. I worked with Stop Hunger Now and my local church. I lead an event in 2016. Our church raised more than $3000 ($0.29 per meal) and packaged 12,500+ meals that later went to feed the hungry in Uganda!
I also started speaking with the IBM Club of New Jersey (I had volunteered with them in the past). They agreed to sponsor the event and supply the funding of about 10,000 meals (the minimum needed to have an event) if I would agree to lead the event. I was happy to do so!
I'm happy to say that we had 50 volunteers who turned out this past Saturday and we packaged 10,152 meals!
We had a fun time singing and dancing to the music while working. It only took about 100 minutes!
As we packaged the meals, we would sound a gong every time that another 1000 meals were packaged. I was able to sound the gong at 7,000 meals being completed. Our New Jersey State executive sounded the gong when we accomplished the midway point of 5,000 meals. Our IBM Club of NJ treasurer sounded the gong for one of the milestones too. We also had some children of IBMers who volunteered and they also sounded the gong for some of the milestones.
Here I am with my wife (who was a big help) in front of the meal boxes.
I recommend that you may want to consider leading a similar event with some organization that you are involved with. You can contact Rise Against Hunger at their website and they would be more than happy to work with you.
