Holidays Without Hunger: Volunteers pack thousands of meals so no one goes hungry

Thousands of volunteers gathered to pack hundreds of thousands of meals for those in Southwest Florida and abroad experiencing food insecurity this holiday season.

Nonprofit Meals of Hope hosted its annual “Holidays Without Hunger” event at Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers Saturday, where volunteers helped to scoop and seal meal packs that will soon be delivered to thousands in Southwest Florida who are faced with food insecurity.

“We have tremendous hunger in Southwest Florida as all across the country and really all around the world,” volunteers Pete Doragh said. “So it’s one of those things where there’s always a need to help.”

The meal packing worked as an assembly line. One volunteer would hold the bags while the other volunteers scooped each ingredient into them.

“It just puts us in the Christmas spirit really, just to give back,” Shanai Hill said.

Steve Popper, the president and CEO of Meals of Hope, was proud of the outpouring of support volunteers gave at the event.

“This gives people an opportunity to give back to our community, spending a couple hours working together,” Popper said.

It’s a feeling that has become addicting for veteran volunteers such as 14-year-old Lily Carosiello. She’s been meal packing for the past four years and now trains other volunteers…

“I just love doing it and helping the community,” Carosiello said.

The meals packed at the day’s event will be delivered to more than 200 local schools, food pantries and food banks to support those in Southwest Florida experiencing food insecurity. Some of the meals will also go to the Bahamas to support continued Hurricane Dorian relief efforts.

The event in Lee County was at a capacity with 2,500 volunteers who helped pack more than 553,000 meals for beneficiaries this holiday season.

The event at Lee Civic Center was Meals of Hope’s second “Holidays Without Hunger”packing event of the season. Last weekend, 400 volunteers packed 150,000 meals at North Naples Middle School.

Meals of Hope provides a total of 14 food pantries — including seven mobile pantries — throughout Collier County and Lee County to distribute fresh and nutritious food to approximately 1,000 families each week. For more information about helping the nonprofit’s holiday efforts and more, contact Meals of Hope at info@mealsofhope.org, or visit the Meals of Hope website.

Other volunteers agree the camaraderie shared at the Meals of Hope holiday event is worth the effort support community members.

“This is so exciting,” volunteer Dr. Deborah Nauss said. “It’s a wonderful fun chance for everybody to do something for others.”