By Dawn Pearson
Do you know where or when you will eat your next meal?
Many Hoosiers don’t have a good answer to that question. According to Million Meal Marathon former executive director and current board member Jill Madinger of Carmel, that number of Hoosiers is staggering.
“In Indiana alone, one million people don’t know where they’ll get their next meal,” she said.
The Million Meal Marathon is a program of Million Meal Movement, a humanitarian food aid organization that feeds the hungry at home while teaching children and communities the power of volunteerism. Launched in 2007 by Dan and Nancy Hintz of Carmel, the organization has provided nearly 28 million nutritious meals to hungry families in Indiana and around the world, all packaged by volunteers.
The seventh annual Million Meal Marathon, presented by Strada Education Network and the Indianapolis Colts brought together more than 3,000 community members Oct. 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium with the intent of packing 1 million nutritious meals for Indiana’s hungry in a single day.
Volunteers from corporate sponsor organizations, local civic groups, churches, Indianapolis-area schools and families worked in four two-hour shifts alongside Indianapolis Colts players and cheerleaders to hand-package nutritious meals for hungry Hoosiers. Meal packs include 21 essential vitamins and minerals, a blend of six dehydrated vegetables, enriched soy with 52 percent protein and 10 vitamins, plus white, high-quality rice. During the Million Meal Marathon, volunteers added the dry ingredients to plastic bags, weighed, sealed and boxed them.
“One of the things that is really special about our organization is we are not just feeding the hungry, but it’s the part of the mission that allows us to engage people of all ages and from all walks of life as volunteers, to watch elementary school children standing next to corporate business men and professional athletes packing meals,” Madinger said.
The Million Meal Movement is privately funded.
“All resources come from corporate donations, individuals and corporate sponsorships, so we are always looking for funding,” Madinger said.
All of this year’s meals packed will be distributed to food banks in Indiana to feed the one in five Hoosier children who are food insecure and their families. Midwest Food Bank and Gleaners picked-up the packaged meals throughout the day and delivered them to their Indianapolis warehouses, where they will be distributed to food pantries across the state.
“This can be a very rewarding experience in a few short hours people can make a huge contribution to the hunger issue in Indiana,” Madinger said. “Pack today and in two weeks the meals can be sitting on someone’s table.”
For more, visit MillionMealMovement.org.
