“Kids are always hungry, and it hurts me a little inside every time I have to tell them ‘no.’ … I want to tell them ‘yes!’ I don’t want to say, ‘I’m sorry, we don’t have any more apples till payday, or any more chips, or any more Popsicles.’”

The pain that Michigan mom and her family feel is all too common. In 2015, nearly 1.5 million Michigan residents, or about 1 in 6 people, were food insecure—meaning they didn’t know where their next meal would come from.

On Oct. 15, United Way, Kellogg Company and hundreds of volunteers from our community will come together to do something about hunger in the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo region. You can be part of that work.

Now in its third year, United Against Hunger is a volunteer effort to package 100,000 meals for local families in need. Each package includes up to six individual meals—enough for a whole family. Volunteers work in an assembly line in teams of 10 to package meals, which will be distributed to food banks and other organizations throughout the region.

United Against Hunger takes place Tuesday, Oct. 15, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Full Blast, 35 W. Hamblin St., in Battle Creek. United Way is spearheading this event in partnership with Kellogg’s and The Outreach Program. Volunteer slots are still available; you can register by clicking here.