Shrewsbury parish packs food for 40,000

By Christina Galeone | CFP Correspondent

SHREWSBURY – Sandwiched between two snowstorms, a celebration took place in St. Mary Parish on the afternoon of March 10. The festive atmosphere included music, excitement and plenty of food. But the food wasn’t for the people attending the event … and that’s what made it a celebration.
For the third consecutive year, St. Mary’s Social Justice Ministry partnered with Rise Against Hunger to organize and hold a meal-packaging event. The church’s Lenten service project brought 50 parishioners together to assemble 10,000 meal packages in the parish hall. Since each package could feed a family of four, the church’s efforts will provide nutritious meals for 40,000 impoverished people in West Africa.
Rise Against Hunger, which was formerly known as Stop Hunger Now, is a nonprofit that – among other things – facilitates volunteer meal packaging events for organizations that want to take a hands-on approach to fighting world hunger. Its mission is “to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable and creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources.” Because of its mission and because one of the organizations it works with to distribute the meals is Catholic Relief Services, partnering with Rise Against Hunger for the event was an easy decision for the Social Justice Ministry.  
Gina Kuruvilla, the ministry’s leader, said the event gave parishioners the chance to fulfill Christ’s call for us to feed the hungry.
“There are so many who have so little, and we, in the United States, are so blessed to have so much,” she said. “There is a lot we can do within our own community, but I also think it’s important to reach out to those beyond our shores.”  
And while listening to family-friendly music and listening for one of the youngest volunteers to strike a loud gong after every 1,000 meals had been packaged, that’s exactly what the 50 volunteers did. While 10 of them helped haul the heavy bags of food into the hall and set up the assembly lines, the rest manned the lines by each being in charge of a particular food item or a specific part of the packaging process. Through teamwork, they packaged 10,000 nutritious dehydrated meals consisting of rice, vegetables, soy and 23 essential vitamins and minerals.   
Mrs. Kuruvilla revealed that even preparing for the event went smoothly.
“It was a joy; people were happy to be given the opportunity,” she said. “Something I learned is, it’s important to raise awareness, because there are a lot of people who want to help but who are not sure exactly how to go about it.”
One of the people who volunteered also contributed to its success in another way. Kelly Paulina, head of the church’s Stewardship Ministry, volunteered alongside her husband, Michael. Her ministry organized St. Mary’s Simple Soup Suppers for every Friday during Lent. The donations received at the suppers helped fund the meal packages, which cost just under $3,000.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to give back during the Lenten season,” Mrs. Paulina said.  
Two other volunteers who were also happy to be there were Kim Tran and her son, Christopher. While the quiet young man said that he was just hoping to help with the project, his mom said that she thought it was “very nice” that the church community was helping people in need in this way.
Maryann Damico, who arrived at around the same time, agreed that the event was a “great way to help.”
Working at the same assembly line table was Kathleen Forletta – who was there with her husband, Bernie. She has volunteered for the event every year it has been held.
“I just think it feels good to connect with people who are so far away – who are so needy – and it seems so little that we can do,” Mrs. Forletta said.        
“One of the three traditional acts of Lent is almsgiving, so this provides an opportunity that’s twofold,” said Msgr. Michael F. Rose, St. Mary’s pastor. He said because of generous donations at the soup suppers, the church was able to fund the meals. He added, “So, it’s a way of raising funds, so that we can prepare and send food to people who are hungry.”