Join the Giving: Volunteers Wanted for Annual Community Food Packaging Event!

(KNSI) — The annual We Are Thankful community-wide food packaging event with a collection of nonperishable food items is next month, and volunteers are needed to help.

Coming up on November 19th at the River’s Edge Convention Center, 450 volunteers are needed to package more than 90,000 oatmeal and rice meals for 11 area food shelves, including Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf in St. Cloud. The event also benefits Albany, Big Lake, Buffalo, Cold Spring, Elk River, Monticello, St. Joseph and Zimmerman food shelves.

“There’s a genuine struggle for individuals in our community experiencing food insecurity, and together, we’ve been able to support area food shelves, helping serve our neighbors in need,” said Cathy Wogen, executive director of Kids Fighting Hunger. The organization says the event is designed to give the public a chance to help provide food to hungry kids, adults and families.

Last year, We Are Thankful packaged 140,000 meals, meeting the pre-order request of 110,000 meals from participating food shelves. In 2023, food shelves have requested 100,000 meals, which includes 10,000 boxes of macaroni and cheese donated by Coborn’s.

Any additional meals are distributed to a global community in need.

To volunteer for the event and to register, click here or email Cathy Wogen at cathy.wogen@gmail.com or call 320-291-6007. Food-packaging shifts are approximately 75 minutes and begin at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 1:00 p.m.

Donations are also needed to help in paying for meal-package ingredients. Kids Fighting Hunger requests donations of $15 from children under 18 years of age and $30 from adults 18 and older.

“Considering the cost of food ingredients and supplies have increased by 50 percent, Kids Fighting Hunger needs help in raising $30,000 for the event,” says Wogen. “Only with the support of our
generous community can we together meet the needs of area food shelves.”

To donate to the event, send payment by check to Kids Fighting Hunger, PO Box 7550, St. Cloud, MN 56302, and designate We Are Thankful.

Donations are also accepted online by clicking here.

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