Community Unites to Feed the Hungry
What power does one person have to change the world? A lot more when joined with the power of community.
The community is coming together — 24 Hours. One Goal. Thousands Fed. The Rise Against Hunger Community Packathon will run from noon July 18 to noon July 19, and with the help of 1,300 volunteers, we will fill an entire shipping container with 285,000 meals destined to improve the lives of students in the Philippines.
“We want to prove that when we all come together, we can do something good that’s bigger than any of us,” said Michael Tuggle, who leads the team coordinating the event.
The Packathon is also raising $125,000 to cover the cost of the food and to put on the event. With the support of title sponsor, Marty B’s, they are well on their way to reaching that goal.
“This event really aligns with our purpose,” said Marty Bryan of Marty B’s, “and that’s to bring the community together, to connect with friends and family. Ultimately, we want you to come out and help support and volunteer to get these packages of food out to the hungry.”
Everyone is invited to join the Packathon. Seven three-hour shifts and a youth lock-in will cover the 24 hours. Children as young as 4 can help, and childcare for younger children is available for selected shifts. The event is hosted by Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church, and you can sign up and reserve childcare at tmumc.org/rah.
“This is a phenomenal way to serve,” Trietsch’s senior pastor Daniel Humbert said. “It will pull people together to accomplish a good thing.”
The international organization Rise Against Hunger targets “remote, last-mile communities … which are the hardest places to reach and are often difficult to access, lack communication, and have poor infrastructure,” says RiseAgainstHunger.org.
Rise Against Hunger works with those communities to provide long-term solutions to hunger. While those solutions are taking root, they provide “meals through local schools to incentive attendance and enable kids to obtain an education. Our work starts with a meal.”
Each meal consists of rice, soy, freeze-dried veggies, and flavor packets. The food arrives to the Packathon in 50-pound bags, and volunteers work as teams to split them up into six-meal bags, which are then weighed, boxed, and loaded into the shipping container.
The high-energy event is designed to feel like a community party, with music and food. “It’s about unity,” Tuggle said. “We’re all in this together.”
Many community organizations, including five Rotary Clubs, the Summit Club, Congregation Kol Ami, and St. Phillips church, have joined the effort. Any group — familes, girlfriend groups, neighborhoods, businesses — that wants to sign up as a team to work together is encouraged, as serving together brings people closer.
The mayors of Flower Mound, Lewisville, and Highland Village — Cheryl Moore, TJ Gilmore, and Charlotte Wilcox — made a plea through a social media video. “We believe in community and connecting,” Mayor Wilcox said. “And that’s exactly what the Packathon is going to do. It’s going to bring our communities together so that we can care for others near and far.”
“Our town is built around community, our schools, our kids, and this Packathon gives you the opportunity to come and join us as a group to help the hungry. Come on out,” Mayor Moore said.
And Mayor Gilmore added, “Our three cities work so well together. And we have so many great bonds. We want you to come out and help strengthen that.”
A special part of the event is the midnight to 6 am lock-in for high school students, which will include lots of fun, entertainment, and movies, and will also have onsite police security.
Lori Rapp, LISD Superintendent, said in another video, “As high school students, we know you’re always looking through student organizations to give back to the community and participate in community service. This Packathon is a great way to do this.”
Many thanks to all the coordinators and sponsors of the event. “Marty B has been unbelievably supportive, a phenomenal partner,” Tuggle said. “The Packathon completely aligns with his vision of bringing communities together with faith and food.”
The event will conclude with a celebration at noon on July 19. “We’ll acknowledge that hunger happens here, too,” Tuggle said. Local nonprofits that work with the hungry, such as CCA and LovePacs, will be on hand to provide information about how our community can rally around our own.
