Harvard Humanists to package 40,000 meals

In 2011, the Humanist Community at Harvard sponsored an interfaith meal-packing event to benefit food-insecure children in Quincy, Massachusetts. The volunteers also commemorated the tenth anniversary of September 11 by packing 9,110 meals while fostering dialogue and education among people of different religious backgrounds—particularly those that have been maligned by stereotyping in 9/11’s wake.

Having hosted another meal-packing event since then, HCH will be sponsoring their third meal-packing event this Sunday.

Just two years ago, food-insecure households in Massachusetts reached a peak rate (10.8% in all the Commonwealth) since 1995, according to the Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts. This Thanksgiving, while we give thanks to our communities and our friends and family for helping us feel secure in our access to food, we also ought to consider those who aren’t so lucky—and, with our values in mind, we ought to step in to help those in need.

On Sunday, November 18, at noon, the Harvard Humanists VBB team—as a part of their greater Values in Action initiative—will collaborate with religious and nonreligious organizations alike to package 40,000 meals for those with limited access to food in Massachusetts. But these meals must be purchased before they can be packaged and distributed—and they are still working to fundraise toward their goal.

Foundation Beyond Belief has supported the project through a Small Grant Award for Q4 2012. Further donations can be made directly to HCH through PayPal—please write “VIA event” in the special instructions box to earmark it for the project. For more information, visit the Harvard Humanist website, and if you’re planning to go, RSVP to the event on Facebook.

If you’re interested in being a volunteer leader, we need people to help load/unload the meal trucks on Monday, as well as to help facilitate the event throughout Sunday—contact Walker Bristol for more information about volunteering.