Waukesha, Wis. (CBS 58) — Church members, colleagues, and college students recently came together with a larger goal in mind. Last year, RiverGlen Christian Church, with campuses in Waukesha and Pewaukee, packed 130,000 meals to ship to Central America.
This year- they wanted to break that record. Over two days last month, nearly 800 volunteers came together to help, and their small contribution yielded big results.
The process of making food is simple.
“There’s vitamins, vegetables, soy and rice,” explained Colin Hattrick with Lifeline Christian Mission, the organization that distributes the food.
All ingredients are put into a funnel and a bag for a nutrient-rich meal. The bag is then sealed and ready to be packed.
That Friday evening, hundreds of volunteers attended to take a net of their hair and get a quick tutorial on how the assembly line works.
This is Riverglen’s second year hosting a huge meal pack.
“It’s going great,” said volunteer Christina Ogunubi. “We’ve packed about two and a half cans so far.”
Ogunubi and Kaitlyn DiSalvo are two of 60 students from Carroll University who came to the church for help.
“I’m doing a few things. I’m measuring and weighing everything, and then sending it off for sealing,” DiSalvo said. “It’s so easy to do and it’s really fun too.”
Volunteers are not just members of the church. They come from all walks of life in the Waukesha community.
Organizer Amy Merz said, “We had a whole bunch of Old Navy guys who came in. They got all their coworkers together.” “We have a lot of schools involved. So, it’s really a community event.”
Everyone is able to play and play their part. Hattrick travels the country to help with such events.
This is its beauty, people of all ages can take part in it. So you will roam here and there, here you will see small children. You will see elders here,” he said.
They are doing a small part to get big results.
“It takes a lot of manpower. Woman power! It takes a lot of power,” said Merz excitedly.
Merz helped bring 780 volunteers together over two days to complete it.
“It’s really my passion. I love it. I love seeing people come together, and just do something for the good of their heart,” she said.
Once the food is in the box, they are loaded onto the pallets. These meals are destined for Panama and Haiti.
“In each country, they will use different spices, so it will taste a little bit different,” Hattrick said. “Sometimes they’ll make it more delicious. Sometimes they’ll make it a casserole.”
The target was 140,000 meals. RiverGlen raised approximately $40,000 to pay for the project.
“I think sometimes people sit there and think, Oh, I wish there was something I could do. Well, that’s something you can do. It’s not difficult,” Merz said.
Volunteers are giving, and receiving something in return.
“What we found is this – at its core people are really asking how they can get involved. How else can they do that,” Merz said.
In the end, he accomplished his mission. The volunteers packed 143,208 meals during the two-day event.
“It inspires them to be a part of something bigger than themselves. He gets his share of serving the world,” said Hattrick.
RiverGlen Christian Church is also donating money to Hebron House to purchase new equipment for the Juno House Shelter and Waukesha Food Pantry. For more information, just visit www.riverglen.cc,