We are always on the lookout for service opportunities that will allow our campers and guests to get in touch with their own motivation for mission and experience the work of helping others. It’s often difficult to find a service project that is both meaningful and organized well enough that 75 people can do it all at once. And it’s even harder to find a service project in which you get to wear hairnets and have a dance party while doing it! We hit the jackpot on all counts by partnering with Rise Against Hunger to host meal packaging events throughout the summer with campers and mission teams.

During these events, participants package meals to be used in international school feeding programs. Before beginning the process, everyone dons fashionable hairnets and sanitizes their hands and gets oriented to the Rise Against Hunger organization and the meal packaging process.

Then everyone picks a job and starts helping. The process goes like this: One group pours the ingredients (rice, soy, vitamin packet, dried veggies) into a bag, the next group weighs the package, the third group seals the bag and the last group completes the process by boxing the meals so they are ready to be transported. The whole process is simple and, when we turn up the volume on some upbeat music, everyone has a great time!

We love the sense of fun and purpose this activity gives our campers and guests! For more information about this program and Ferncliff’s involvement, contact Emily Hooker at emily@ferncliff.org.