At the conclusion of the three days together at the Synod Gathering, participants had the opportunity to put into practice what they had heard and learned in worship and workshops! Lenoir-Rhyne’s Shuford Gymnasium was transformed into an assembly line where participants could package meals for the organization Rise Against Hunger.

They may look like simple bags of rice and soy, but Rise Against Hunger meals represent the hopes and dreams of people worldwide. Everyone, young and old and in-between, found a spot on the assembly line. There were people bagging the rice, soy, and other ingredients. Those bags were handed to others who weighed the contents. Then they were passed to people who sealed the bags. They went from there to labeling and packing the bags into boxes ready to be shipped.

In a period of around two hours, North Carolina Lutherans packaged 24,000 meals! Those meals will soon feed hungry people somewhere around the world. Through our service project, we are helping end hunger. Even though those meals look like simple bags of rice and soy, they represent the hopes and dreams of people around the world. Susan Harris, a member of Salem, Lincolnton, who is currently serving as a Synod Authorized Minister at Sharon, Statesville, asserts, “This was my first experience packaging meals and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to play a small part in a much larger initiative.”

We are more when we are in service to our neighbors around the globe.

On June 12, 2024, NC Synod staff received this update from Rise Against Hunger:

Meals you packaged are headed to Burundi!

Located in the Rift Valley in East Africa, Burundi faces poverty and high levels of food insecurity. Since the country gained independence, internal conflict has impacted agricultural production, an important source of livelihood for many. Refugees and returning displaced Burundians depend on food assistance, yet available resources have become scarce. The Global Hunger Index, which assesses food insecurity based on indicators that measure undernourishment and undernutrition, estimates that Burundi has an alarming level of hunger.