- April 17, 2024
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Ashleigh Kirks helps her daughter Adylyn weigh bags for Stop Hunger Now, during Day of Service at Palm Coast United Methodist Church. Photo by Jacque Estes
Ashleigh Kirks helps her daughter Adylyn weigh bags for Stop Hunger Now, during Day of Service at Palm Coast United Methodist Church. Photo by Jacque Estes
The PCUMC Day of Service included assisting the Family Life Center, a food pantry, and the homeless, by filling bags of necessities. Photo by Jacque Estes
The filled and sealed bags for Stop Hunger Now, were packed into cardboard boxes, ready to be shipped to areas in need around the world. Photo by Jacque Estes
Jessica Logan and her son Detro were all smiles as they helped fill boxes for Stop Hunger Now. Photo by Jacque Estes
The PCUMC fellowship hall was filled to capacity, with parishioners ready to volunteer, after Sunday services. Photo by Jacque Estes
Lyn Preat (left), Chloi Wallace (pink shirt) and Barbara Fernandez, fill bags with dehydrated food at PCUMC's Day of Service. Photo by Jacque Estes
Sisters Abigale and Victoria Mannino volunteer at Day of Service at PCUMC. Photo by Jacque Estes
Stephanie Sheffield holds up a bag to be filled with dehydrated food for Stop Hunger Now. Photo by Jacque Estes
The left side measures exact amounts for each bag of dehydrated food, and the right side hot seals the bags closed. Photo by Jacque Estes
The last "Amens" were said, heads were raised, and a police officer waited to direct traffic from the Palm Coast United Methodist Church parking lot onto Belle Terre Parkway. But the parking lot remained full.
Instead of heading to their cars, most of the congregation headed to the fellowship hall and classrooms to participate in the church’s annual Day of Service on Sunday, Sept. 25.
“We have more volunteers than we expected so we have doubled our goal of 10,000 meals to 20,000,” Michele Seyfert, an organizer, said.
Seyfert said 150 men, women and children had signed up for the assembly-line process of filling plastic bags with dehydrated and dry food. Even after the instructions had been given and spaces were filled, volunteers continued to flow through the doors.
Microphone in hand, Stephanie Sheffield, assistant program manager from Stop Hunger Now, explained the process to the volunteers lined up at tables throughout the hall. The bags of dried food may not look appetizing to those with a refrigerator full of food waiting at home, but Sheffield explained that the contents of the bags being assembled and sent to groups around the world, are often the one and only nutritious meal they will get that day.
“This is more than a meal,” Sheffield said. “When children get a healthy meal, the attendance rate in school goes up, graduation rates go up and they have better opportunity to get jobs.”
Before being passed across the table to those who hot sealed the bags shut, the bags are weighed. This explained Sheffield’s one bit of advice that she had the crowd repeat to her – “The rice goes in last.” Too light they can add rice, too heavy they can subtract it.
In other classrooms there were additional service opportunities, and one group left the church to stock shelves at a food pantry in Bunnell.
The volunteers filling Blessing Bags for the homeless, finished their job and were looking for other duties to help with. The bags had been filled with day-to-day items most people take for granted. Love bags were being filled for victims at the Family Life Center.
“This is our first time doing this with Stop Hunger Now, and we are thrilled to be doing it,” Lyn Preat, church office manager said.
