On March 5th, over 30 youth and adults from Groton, SD made meals for over 9000 families - in just 1.5 hours. The Groton UMC junior and senior high students partnered with Emmanuel Lutheran students and traveled to Aberdeen, SD to package meals at a satellite station of Kids Against Hunger (KAH). The 26 students and 6 adults planned the trip and were amazed at their own success. The KAH organization had a limit of the number of meals they could package that day, and the group hit that limit in just one and a half hours--9072 meals.

Pastor Thomas Carlson, Groton UMC, was very impressed with the determination and excitement his youth showed in planning for this event and cooperating with the youth group from Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Groton. The pastors of both churches have been working together on ecumenical projects for kids of all ages. Pastor Carlson said, “It was very encouraging to me, to see the kids really pour their hearts into this, and even though it was hard work, seeing the kids struggling through some on it was a testament to their determination to reach out generously to all God’s people.”

The meals are a scientifically formulated combination of white, long-grain rice, vitamin-fortified soy, a powdered blend of six vegetables and vitamin and mineral powder. Each bag of food the group packaged contains a six-serving meal which, when boiled, will feed six children. The youth and adults, who raced against each other as teams in a friendly competition, were ecstatic when they finished. In spite of the hectic pace, some of the youth even prayed over each meal they packaged. Then, at the end of their session, it was announced that the meals may, in fact, be headed for needy children here in the Dakotas. That brought even more excitement. Pastor Carlson said, “I thought it was really awesome, to see both parents and kids from different denominations coming together to help bless people they will probably never meet.”

Kari Hanson, a high school senior and member of the youth leadership board at Groton UMC, was a leader in the event. Pastor Carlson said of Hanson, “It’s been a joy watching Kari step up and lead from what she learned at LTC (Leadership Training Camp at Lake Poinsett).”  Maybe her motivation is spreading the spirit to others, as the local church has other groups interested in participating, so there are already discussions for getting other age groups, both younger and older, to put together at least 3 more trips this year.

Kids Against Hunger in Aberdeen is a local satellite of the international organization headquartered in Omaha, NE, and has a thrift store and meal-packaging center in Aberdeen, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls, SD. More information is available at the Kids Against Hunger website.