MEDFORD, Ore. – ACCESS is partnering with Meals of Hope for a meal packing event this weekend to help local families struggling with food insecurity.
Meals of Hope started in 2007 and ACCESS is excited to be part of the non-profit’s first packing event in the state of Oregon. It’s happening this Saturday, Oct. 21, from 8:30 to 11:00 am at Oakdale Middle School in Medford.
Meals of hope reached out to ACCESS in back in august to get help finding a site for a meal packing event.
“It’s like this partnership between Access, and Meals of Hope, and Medford School district and all of that going to serve our community with 50,000 meals,” said Marcee Champion, ACCESS Food Programs Director.
All of the ingredients will be provided and volunteers will just help pack the meals.
It’s important to Meals of Hope that food stays in the community where it is packed.
“Our goal is to pack a million meals in Oregon in the next 12 months, but we wanted to start right here in our community,” said Meals of Hope packing partner, Annie Bucklin.
The meals will then be distributed by ACCESS and are shelf stable for up to two years.
“The meal we will be packing this Saturday is the mac and cheese. 21 vitamins and minerals and this bag will feed six people,” said packing partner, Jacqueline Lyons.
Other meals that the organization makes include rice and vegetables, chicken soup, oatmeal and pasta.
Lyons and Bucklin said that people of all ages are welcome to volunteer, it doesn’t matter if you’re five years old or 105.
“We play music and there are families of all ages there and they can all participate. It’s not heavy and it’s not physically demanding,” Lyons said. “It’s something anyone can do and its fun.”
If you want to volunteer or if your business has a large space you’d like to lend out for future packing events please visit the meals of hope website for information.
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