Scoop, pour, weigh, seal, repeat. Almost 200 Creighton students took part in this assembly process on Sunday in an effort to package 40,000 meals. Those who volunteered helped fight a condition one in five Nebraskans face everyday: food insecurity. In other words, over 20 percent of people living in Nebraska are unsure of where their next meal is coming from — if it is coming at all.
El Legado de Compasion organized Creighton’s 6th time hosting the packing event through Kids Against Hunger — a food aid organization. All 40,000 packaged meals will be distributed to families in need throughout Nebraska and the greater Midwest Region. Thirty-five hundred meals will go to the Heart Ministry Center right here in Omaha.
Erin Dorpinghaus and Erin Kurvers, (both College of Arts and Sciences seniors), were this year’s coordinators. Kurvers emphasized the significance of keeping the packaged food in the local community.
“I think a lot of people forget that there is hunger in Nebraska and the United States, and the fact that we can help do something about that is a really good thing,” Kurvers said.
On arrival to to the event, students paid five dollars to offset the food costs, put on a hair net and sanitized their hands. After watching a short video on how the packing assembly worked, students began filling meal bags with a blend of soy protein, dried vegetables, vitamin powder and rice. According to the Kids Against Hunger website, the meals have been scientifically formulated to provide a source of easily digestible protein, carbohydrates and vitamins needed for a malnourished body and mind.
President of Omaha Against Hunger Dan Jensen completed mission work with his wife in Haiti for 18 years before working with Kids Against Hunger.
“We’ve seen the face of starvation — of literal starvation where people are feeding kids dirt cakes just to get something in their stomach to put off hunger pains,” Jensen said.
With his background and experience in seeing malnourishment firsthand, Jenson said he values the Kids Against Hunger model.
“What I really appreciate — number one — is the product: It’s all about nutrition,” Jensen explained. “
“It is about taking a kid from starvation into being fully nourished, if they can get the meals ongoing. Secondly — the concept — volunteerism is huge. Third is the cost – It’s 25 cents a meal. There are six meals in a bag; that’s one dollar and fifty cents a bag. You can’t beat that.”
Arts & Sciences junior Julia Neppel helped at this year’s Kids Against Hunger for her first time.
“It was really fun,” said Neppel. “There was a lot of team camaraderie at our table, and it was nice working for a great cause.”
In order to fund the packing event, El Legado de Compasion received grants from the Creighton Students Union and the Inter Residents Hall Government, hosted a fundraiser at Noodles & Company and collected personal donations.
Omaha Against Hunger hosts groups from 10 to 100 people. They also have a packaging warehouse in southwest Omaha that can accommodate 40 people at a time.
To find out more about how to get involved or to donate, visit their website at: http://omahaagainsthunger.org.