Volunteer to pack 100,000 meals for hungry people in Southern Arizona

Start 2018 by giving back.

Three Tucson faith communities plan to pack 100,000 meals for hungry people in Southern Arizona this Sunday. And they need your help.

St. Paul's United Methodist Church is tackling 50,000 meals and the Muslim Community Center of Tucson and Catalina United Methodist Church have partnered up to take on the next 50,000.

You can pack meals for about an hour, starting at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 8051 E. Broadway, or start a bit later (around noon) at the Muslim Community Center, 5100 N. Kevy Place.

The meals will stay in our community, going to Methodist churches with food pantries and local agencies such as Casa Maria and Salvation Army.

"I want people to have this experience..." said Carol West, an organizer with Catalina United Methodist Church. "It doesn't take a lot of time, and people feel good about helping out people who need that help."

This is a volunteering experience for all ages. Your kids are definitely welcome.

St. Paul's United Methodist Church has now organized a meal pack-a-thon for six years, said Nancy Scott, the church's director of leadership development.

This is the third year the Muslim and Methodist communities have partnered to feed Tucson. In past years, they also had involvement from the Jewish community, West said.

Working with other faiths "breaks down some barriers," she added. "You meet people of other faiths and have a better understanding of them and their culture, and they have a better understanding of us. And we need that, particularly now."

Tala Shahin, a pack-a-thon coordinator with the mosque, said the interfaith relationships enrich the entire experience.

"By working on this project together, we are not only able to nourish the less fortunate but nurture relationships in our community," she said.

Both locations will pack meals of rice and beans provided by The Outreach Program, a Iowa-based nonprofit that organizes meal pack-a-thons and seeks to provide water, medical care and education to people who need it. The meals have a shelf life of about two years, Scott said.

If you're unable to volunteer during the pack-a-thons, all three faith communities are still raising funds. To pack 50,000 meals, each location is raising $12,500 to cover the 25-cent meals.

You can donate to Catalina United Methodist Church, the Muslim Community Center of Tucson or St. Paul's United Methodist Church and indicate your donation is for the pack-a-thon.

"Hunger is a problem that can affect anyone, regardless of race, background or religion," Shahin said. "By working to benefit others, we all benefit."