'Overwhelmed by the generosity': Parish packs 100,000 meals for disaster victims

Massive annual effort at St. Isidore brings together volunteers, community to be a 'sign of God's grace' for suffering families

MACOMB — On Sunday, trucks carrying 100,000 meals headed south from Michigan to North Carolina and Florida to aid hurricane victims.

The day before, more than 400 volunteers streamed into the social hall at St. Isidore Catholic Church in Macomb to pack the meals. Parishioners from St. Isidore and other churches in the Disciples Unleashed Family of Parishes were joined by members of local Kiwanis and Key Clubs, who supported the effort with funding as well as volunteers. There were high school honor societies from Dakota High and Austin Catholic, and dance teams wearing matching jackets. There were individuals alongside entire families, and groups of friends who wanted to help others in a tangible way.

They arrived at 10 a.m. By noon, the boxes with more than 100,000 meal packets were packed and loaded onto trucks waiting outside.

St. Isidore partnered with the Kids Coalition Against Hunger and with volunteer Lori Stillwell, who worked with parish staff to manage the many details of the massive effort. Forty tables were set up in U-shape formations in the parish social hall, with 26 people stationed at each.

The stations became assembly lines with bins of rice, vitamin-fortified crushed soy, a vitamin blend, and dehydrated vegetables. Recipients of the meals add 6 cups of boiling water to feed six adults or 12 children. The packet contains the nine essential amino acids, making it a nutritionally sound food source for those in crisis. Each meal cost 35 cents to make.

As boxes were packed with 36 meal packets each, volunteers at some tables let out a celebratory cheer every time they sealed a box. At other tables, applause rang out when the food scale reached precisely 390 grams, the amount each pouch holds. The festive setting served as model not only of efficiency, but of joyful service to others.

Including the people who had set up the night before, as well as those who packaged the meals during the event and another group that cleaned up after the action-packed two hours, the volunteer count reached nearly 600 parishioners and community members.

“We are doing what Archbishop (Allen H. Vigneron) challenges us to do, and that is to go out into the community and unleash the Gospel,” said Deacon Jeff Loeb, who coordinated the effort with Stillwell and a host of other St. Isidore staff members. “In addition to helping hurricane victims, this whole effort creates a ripple effect locally as well. Even though we’re packing these meals within our walls, we’re reaching out beyond the walls to bring people in.”

Moms Amy Pagliaroli, Nicole Simonsen and Audrey Kronzo brought a group of teenagers from the Dakota High School's National Honor Society, the Seneca Middle School National Junior Honor Society, and Girl Scout Troop 76395 to the event.

“I want to show my daughter that doing nice things for people in need is important,” Simonsen said.

Sixteen-year-old Ryan Comilla, a junior at Dakota High School, attended the food packing event for the first time. His family attends St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Shelby Township.

“I’m glad I came,” Comilla said. “It feels like you have a purpose when you do something like this and you’re helping someone who doesn’t have access to food.”

Ten tables were filled by families who signed up to serve together. At several stations, three generations measured ingredients side by side.

Msgr. John Kasza is the moderator for the Disciples Unleashed Family of Parishes, which includes St. Isidore, St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. Francis of Assisi-St. Maximilian Kolbe in Ray Township.

“It’s good to support one another as one family of parishes,” Msgr. Kasza said. “This was originally a St. Isidore event, so we partnered the parishes to continue to do the work together while also extending it out to the community. It’s reminiscent of what we hear at the end of Mass: ‘May God who has begun the good work in you bring it to fulfillment.’”

St. Isidore first packed meals for Kids Coalition Against Hunger in 2015, packaging more than half a million meals since then. Each year, the food is sent wherever there is a need domestically or internationally.

Chris Kozlowski, the mission support director for the family of parishes, worked behind the scenes to make the event a success and to secure funds. With financial support from parishioners, Kiwanis Clubs and other donors, more than $50,000 was raised, far beyond the original goal of $35,000. Excess funds will be saved to pack additional meals next year.

“There are days I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the people of our three parishes. They are truly amazing,” Kozlowski said. “And, most importantly, it is a sign of God's grace that so many people are willing to do so much for their neighbors in need. I can't think of a more fitting event considering our Gospel reading from this past weekend was about loving the Lord with our hearts and loving our neighbor as ourselves.”  

Kozlowski encourages other parishes not to “sell our God or the goodness in people around us short.” When the team at St. Isidore initially discussed the idea of packing 100,000 meals, they didn’t think it would be possible, he said. They wound up achieving the goal several years back-to-back, and the endeavor grows every year.

“This is a result of hard work and vision, but most importantly, it is the result of giving all of the caring, wonderful people an opportunity to express their love for others through generosity and action,” Kozlowski said. “I also can't say enough about the people at (Kids Coalition Against Hunger) for casting the vision for their mission.”

The meal packing event allows everyone to serve in some way, Kozlowski noted. Seniors might offer funding for the project, while young families pitch in for the physical part of the effort. 

Now that the rice has been vacuumed off the floor and tables have been put away, the parish is already looking ahead: They have set their sights on the milestone of 1 million meals, and hope to reach it within a few years.