CHARLOTTE — On June 29, St. Matthew Church held its meal packing event as part of the 17th annual Monsignor McSweeney World Hunger Drive, with more than 1,400 volunteers packaging over 323,500 meals.
Ninety percent of the meals will be shipped to the Missionaries of the Poor, a Catholic order of brothers, priests and sisters, at their mission in Cap Haitian, Haiti, and the remainder will be distributed in Mecklenburg and Union counties through Second Harvest Food Bank, Catholic Charities and other assistance providers.
Father Richard Ho Lung, founder of the Missionaries of the Poor, stopped by during the event to personally thank Father Patrick Hoare, pastor, and all the volunteers for the continuous support St. Matthew Parish has provided. He was surprised with a cake and a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” to celebrate his 80th birthday as well as his 60th jubilee anniversary of religious life.
The meal packing event is just one part of St. Matthew’s month-long World Hunger Drive, in which parishioners donate food, supplies and money. Some of the funds are used to buy additional food that is shipped in six full-sized containers to the MOP communities in Haiti and Jamaica that serve the elderly, disabled, and children with HIV. The remainder of the funds is used for sustainability projects such as stocking tilapia ponds, purchasing live chickens, and educating more than 270 students at St. Marc School in Haiti.
Including this year’s donations, the World Hunger Drive has provided more than three million pounds of food, supplies and packed meals to people in need at home and abroad.
To date, 2.1 million meals have been packaged by Monsignor McSweeney World Hunger Drive volunteers at annual meal packing events, conducted with close partner, Servants With a Heart.
The theme for the 2019 drive, which continues until July 14, is “One human family, moved by the Spirit.” A gift of $100 will feed one child in Haiti or Jamaica for an entire year.
For more information or to donate, go online to www.stmatthewcatholic.org/world-hunger-drive.
— Submitted by St. Matthew Parish’s World Hunger Drive Committee
