Students, teachers and volunteers gathered at Beacon Christian School in Lewiston, Idaho, ready to Rise Against Hunger.
Inspired by a Rise Against Hunger event at the Lewiston Seventh-day Adventist Church, David Gage, Beacon Christian School principal, wanted to hold an event at the school to support RAH. Rise Against Hunger is an organization that works to reduce malnourishment in poverty-stricken countries, the majority of which are in Africa and Asia.
“Many of these packets will be distributed to impoverished school children, meaning that education is also being encouraged,” says Gage.
Hadley Bergamo led the fundraising campaign to obtain the $5,000 needed to host the event. She put up posters at school and asked people within her church, Good News Fellowship, in Clarkston, Washington, to donate to the cause. One donor contributed before the fundraising campaign even began.
The food packages, containing rice, textured vegetable protein and vitamin packets, were put together by the participants using an assembly-line system. Once a package had been filled, a student would run it to the scale where other students were waiting to weigh it. After weighing, the package was taken to the next station where volunteers were sealing packages. Another student would run the package to the final station where it was finally boxed up.
Some of the older students also assisted with setting up tables and unpacking supplies before the start of the event, as well as cleaning up at the end of the event.
In the end, the 56 students, teachers and volunteers had put together about 10,000 meals within the two-hour event. Each package was designed to feed six people, bringing the total number of individuals they were able to provide for to 60,000.
Students say they enjoyed being able to bless others during the outreach project. They say it also put things into perspective for them. “We should appreciate our food and be glad we have food because some people don’t,” one student commented. Another shared, “We need to help others who don’t have what we have.”
Gage shared the importance of events like this being held at Beacon Christian School. “Probably more important than all the book learning is the lesson that our job on earth is to help and bless others,” says Gage. “My prayer is that we will continually keep our focus on what is good and on how we can take action to bless others.”
The Rise Against Hunger event brought 56 students, teachers and volunteers to BCS where they assembled enough packages of food to feed 60,000 people.
Volunteers assembled complete meals containing rice, textured vegetable protein and vitamin packets in an assembly-line fashion where everyone had a special job, no matter the age. One young student shared a new understanding, “we need to help others who don’t have what we have.”
As meals were assembled, everyone had a special job, no matter the age.
