Would you ever think it would be possible to feed 20,000 people in less than an hour? Saint John the Evangelist and the entire community of Naples, people of all ages and religions, came together last night to make thousands upon thousands of meals for starving people around the world. Working with Catholic Relief Services, the Red Cross of the Catholic Church, over 320 individuals heeded our call for action and descended on our Ballroom. The volunteers assisted CRS in setting up hundreds of work stations, filled with rice, dried vegetables, soy, seasoning, and other components that made up a 6-serving “Meal-Ready-to-Eat”, or MRE. These hearty volunteers were given their instructions and this inspiring prayer, dedicated to the work we did for Burkina Faso, the African nation that our food will be delivered to.
For 46 minutes straight, these 328 team members all worked in harmony, filling the pouches, weighing them to ensure the correct amount of food would be delivered to a hungry family, sealing the MRE’s, and then packing them up for shipment. It is astonishing that in that very short time, the final official tally of meals made was 20,136! After that burst of activity, all our tired volunteers were treated to a simple but satisfying meal from Chef Lou, who worked tremendously hard himself, given our anticipated 200 volunteers grew to a significantly larger number, which is an outpouring of our love for humanity.
I give thanks to every single person who attended our meal packing event, all those who donated so generously for our cause, and all those who prayed for our success in reaching (and exceeding) our goal to feed 20,000 people. Words are not enough to show the dedication and devotion our Parish Family has for our mission: To Know, To Love, and To Serve. These pictures showcase the best of ourselves, young and experienced working side by side in a common purpose to make the world a better place for those most in need. The perspiration and smiles that it takes to make such a positive difference. Our hearts should be full of joy for what we have done and have yet to do. There is so much more we will be doing (get ready for Thanksgiving in the Park), and we are blessed together to be a part of this community.
