Michigan Kiwanis clubs sends thousands of meal packets to needy

Grand Rapids, Michigan, Press
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/04/kiwanis_club_in_grand_rapids_s.html

GRAND RAPIDS -- More than 100 Kiwanis Club volunteers rolled up their sleeves and donned hairnets Saturday at Union Station to assemble 30,000 meal packets for area food banks.

The same thing was happening at 10 other sites across Michigan to observe Kiwanis One Day, an international effort whose goal is to provide 1 million hours of volunteer service worldwide that benefits children.

"My, this was a lot of fun," said the Rev. Robert C. Smith, 89, who filled bags from his wheelchair.

"I worked with the United Methodist Church's Commission on Relief and developed a passion for helping hungry people," he added.

Smith is a member of Golden K Kiwanis, a club of retirees.

The Michigan clubs worked in partnership with Kids Against Hunger, an international campaign. The clubs hoped to package 300,000 meals to be distributed statewide.

Local volunteers divided 3,000 pounds of rice, 1,000 pounds of soy, 140 pounds of dried vegetables and 325 pounds of chicken flavoring into packages that would make a nutritionally complete casserole or soup, depending on the amount of water added.

"Some of the world's leading food scientists came up with this recipe," said Tifanie Dallen, lieutenant governor of Kiwanis Clubs in Grand Rapids, Holland and Muskegon.

"One packet can feed six adults and up to 12 children for about 28 cents," she added.

Ingredients that were not donated were purchased with money the clubs raised, Dallen said.

The youngest volunteer at the Grand Rapids site was 8-year-old Wyatt Atkins of Kalamazoo, who participated in a previous event to package meals for Kids Against Hunger.

"I was one who sealed the packages," Wyatt said. "I liked it more than sleeping in."