Upcoming Events

Open Modal

Kuemper Then Feed Just One Packaging Event Does More Than Supply Meals

Photo: Teddy Perkins says he is learning to help others while packaging meals at the Kuemper Then Feed Just One food packaging event Wednesday.

Since 2008, the Wednesday of Holy Week has been designated as a food packaging event for students, faculty and staff at Kuemper Catholic Schools, with help from the area community. Originally designated for Kids Against Hunger, the Then Feed Just One event in the Kuemper High School gymnasium had already seen the packaging of over 100,000 meals of rice, soy protein, dried vegetables, vitamins and minerals and chicken flavoring by 1 p.m. yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. Math teacher and organizer, John Kitch, says they expect to reach their goal of 250,000 by the end of the day. And along with providing food to thousands of people in Honduras, the students are learning some valuable life lessons. Kitch said it is their goal to make some difficult connections from the package to the need.

At any one time during the day there are between 150 to 200 students and community members in the gym packaging about 25,000 meals per hour from the supplies that have been shipped in by Then Feed Just One from LeMars. The connection in coming together as a group to help others was not lost on even the youngest participants. Teddy Perkins, a first grader in Mrs. Tigges’ class, said he knows he is a part of something important.

Robin Harrington, an Algebra 1 teacher and another organizer of Wednesday’s event, says that the students were given a “taste” of what it is like when they were served the packaged meals on Ash Wednesday. The feedback from the students, she said was surprising.

Sixth-grader, Molly Kasperbauer has been a participant in the food packaging since kindergarten. She said that eating the meals has a way of bringing things into perspective for her and the other students.

The Then Feed Just One organization takes volunteers to Honduras on mission projects, and the goal for Kuemper is to be able to send kids on this trip in the future. In addition to packaging meals, the school requests each student donate $30, which is the cost of the ingredients for the meals they handle during their shift. Money is also raised through Mardi Gras, root beer float sales and picking up cans and bottles after sporting events. Kitch and Harrington said at the end of the day, the meals will be loaded up and shipped to LeMars. From there they will go to the Gulf of Mexico and await a Dole container ship to carry them back to Honduras. The partnership with Dole, Kitch added, is the reason that their cost remains low at only 16 cents per meal. The timing of delivery will be dependent on banana crops, but the sealed meals are good for up to three years.

 

Photos: Robin Harrington, John Kitch, Molly Kasperbauer and the box creation crew

IMG_1813IMG_1815IMG_1822  IMG_1825

 

 

Recommended Posts

Loading...