NORTHBOROUGH – The chatter and laughter that filled the room was abruptly interrupted by the piercing clang of a gong.
The room was still and silent until Tori Giordano, the Events Manager for Rise Against Hunger New England, emerged from behind the instrument with an important announcement.
“We just hit 10,000 meals!” she cheered. The room erupted in applause.
On March 18, a group of nearly 100 people from Northborough and the surrounding communities gathered for six hours at Saint Rose of Lima to assemble over 13,000 meals.
Volunteers came from different organizations and walks of life. Students from Algonquin Regional High School helped sift and measure ingredients, while members of local youth groups helped pack and store materials.
Ernie Rivard, an organizer of the event and the Coordinator of the Ministry of Justice and Peace at St. Rose of Lima, noted how the event was cross-cultural and included many different groups.
“We have people here who are volunteers from the Knights of Columbus [and] from the Boy Scouts of America,” he said. “We have young people and old people, and it’s really nice to see them all working together.”
The event was a collaboration between St. Rose of Lima and Rise Against Hunger, an organization that describes itself as a “growing… global movement to end hunger by empowering communities, nourishing lives, and responding to emergencies.”
“We aim to end world hunger,” Giordano said. “We do that by providing nourishing meals, we empower the communities we serve in, and we work domestically growing the movement.”
The meals will be shipped to people in need around the world.
Rivard hopes this event may inspire others to leave their comfort zones and start helping people.
“For everyone in our country, it’s important for us to look beyond our own boundaries. Sometimes we’re comfortable living within our own walled area, whether that’s within our house or our own town. I think it’s healthy for us to see what our brothers and sisters around the world experience,” he said.
“People need help, and that’s true whether it’s our neighbors, someone in our family, or someone that lives across borders. We’re all healthier – better – when we get lifted up a little bit… I hope we can do more of this type of thing.”
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