Teamwork. Leadership. Joy.

All three were on display in abundance during United Against Hunger on Oct. 16, when more than 400 volunteers worked together to package 100,000 meals in just two hours.

The effort, coordinated by United Way BCKR in partnership with presenting sponsor Kellogg’s, produced twice as many meals and involved twice as many volunteers as last year’s inaugural event.

“Our volunteers were incredible,” said Robert Elchert, Community Impact Associate for United Way. “We could not have done this without each and every person and organization involved.”

Volunteers converged on Full Blast in Battle Creek, coming from corporate partner organizations like Kellogg’s, Bronson, Advia Credit Union, Eaton and Stryker, as well as community organizations like W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Disability Network, the City of Battle Creek, Kellogg Community College and many more. They included students, retirees and even a trio of on-call firefighters.

“It was amazing to walk into a room with over 400 volunteers, people working together in a unified front for a common good,” said Kate DeGraaf, Service-Learning Manager for Kellogg Community College.

DeGraaf was with a group of 20 students who are currently taking English 151 at KCC. They have been writing about homelessness and poverty in class. They’re also required to log 15 hours of volunteer service, so United Against Hunger was a perfect fit. Nearly a dozen faculty and staff members joined the effort as well, packing meals as table volunteers.

“This was a great experience for them to come to it as a whole class and experience something together in our community,” DeGraaf said.

The students played a critical role during United Against Hunger. They served as runners, keeping supplies stocked at each table and carting away finished boxes. Volunteers at the tables packaged meal kits in boxes of 36 and rang a cowbell to celebrate and signal for pickup each time a box was completed.

The class went through a reflection period afterward, DeGraaf said. They talked about the leadership and teamwork skills they experienced.

“They also talked about power and joy of ringing the bell and celebrating small accomplishments as they were working toward that larger goal,” she said. “They really pulled a lot of great things from the experience.”

While the students managed supplies, other volunteers were stationed 10-12 people at a table, filling bags with rice, dried beans and vegetables, vitamin packs and soy. They measured, weighed, counted and packed, loading eight pallets with boxes by the end of the afternoon. The finished meal kits were given to the Food Bank of South Central Michigan, which will distribute them to food pantries throughout the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek region.

“These types of events are an important part of addressing hunger in the community,” Elchert said. “We’re not going to solve the problem in a single event, but we can provide a family in crisis with a hearty meal and the knowledge that people in their community care.”

Thank you to all of the many volunteers who worked tirelessly and joyously to reach our goal of 100,000 meals, and thank you to our lead sponsors: Kellogg’s, Bronson and OnStaff.
Check out the news media coverage from the Battle Creek Enquirer, Fox 17 and WWMT Newschannel 3 (via Facebook Live). More photos of the event can be found on the United Way Facebook page.

To learn more about food insecurity, visit the Food Bank website.

To lend your financial support to long-term strategies combating hunger, homelessness and other basic needs issues in our region, click here.