By Christine Galeone, Contributing Writer
Westborough – On Feb. 8 adults and children of all ages, beliefs and backgrounds stood side by side. Together, this diverse group laughed, cheered, applauded and even broke a record.? Although it wasn's an Olympic event, it was every bit as inspirational. It was, in fact, the third annual community meal packaging event hosted by Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Westborough. Exceeding their goal of 50,600, the volunteers put together a stunning 52,620 meals that would then be sent to Central Massachusetts food pantries.
Organized by Pastor Jeff Goodrich, one of two pastors at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, the event included volunteers from 15 local organizations. Among them were several different denominations of Christian churches, a Jewish temple, Kohl's department store in Northborough and the Grafton Job Corps. Goodrich said he was happy to see so many groups come together, along with members of his church, to give of their time and energy to help those who are hungry.
When asked what inspired him to organize the event, he smiled.
“The inspiration is to live out our faith.? To do what Jesus commanded us to do – feed the hungry and help the poor,” he said.
With a high unemployment rate in the United States, hunger remains a problem. In 2012, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, 15.9 million children lived in households where they didn's have enough regular access to nutritious food to live healthy lives.? For many, food banks and similar organizations are a lifeline.
Another lifeline for many people is Outreach Inc. (www.outreachprogram.org). With the help of food scientists at Iowa State University, Outreach created meals that are much more nutritious than typical pre-packaged meals. The macaroni and cheese dinner that was packaged at the event, for instance, was fortified with soy protein, nutrients and vitamins.
The non-profit organization's program, End Hunger New England (www.endhungerne.org) helped to facilitate the event in Westborough.
In shifts, volunteers manned six long tables that were set up as assembly lines while others managed supplies and prepared the meals for shipment. End Hunger New England's Pastor Matthew Martin trained the volunteers. By meeting their goal, he also let them know that they would break a record. Because of the event, Worcester County has now packaged more meals than any other county in the Northeast.
“Good Shepherd is the template for how we can end hunger,” Martin said.
Despite being on their feet for hours and working quickly, the volunteers had fun.
Nancy Aviles, a volunteer who also enjoys helping people in Africa, remarked that “It's nice to be part of something local.”
Eleanor Bigwood, another volunteer, was also glad to be part of the festivities.
“All the churches working together is absolutely fantastic,” she said.
“It makes your heart feel good that you can help somebody out,” she said.
