The sound of several bells ring out as more boxes are completed. The roughly 30 people in the room work with efficiency, several assembly lines working in tandem to finish as many boxes as possible. As music plays from a nearby speaker, people from elementary schoolers to senior citizens chat about their day as they work.
This is a Lifeline Christian Mission meal pack. At Lifeline, volunteers work to pack meals for people in need. Right now, many of those meals are going to aid the people who have been affected by recent hurricanes Milton and Helene.
Hurricane Helene made landfall on Sept. 26, first hitting the Gulf Coast of Florida before heading north, causing extreme weather events across the Southeastern United States. JCPS canceled school on Sept. 27, as did several surrounding counties due to severe weather. On Oct. 9, hurricane Milton made landfall in a similar area along the Gulf Coast of Florida, before cutting across the peninsula to the Atlantic Ocean. These hurricanes have caused widespread devastation throughout Florida and North Carolina. Communities like Asheville, North Carolina have been devastated, with over 80 dead and 80% of buildings damaged. The hurricane has also left many without power, leaving them unable to cook food.
On Thursday, Oct. 17, volunteers packed 20 boxes of meals in an hour. With each box containing 216 meals, the team packed a total of 4,320 meals. Some volunteers took a moment to reflect and appreciate the work they did to help others by giving just a little bit of their time to come and volunteer.
“It’s really impressive to see what gets done in an hour’s time. It’s amazing. So that feels really good,” said Julie Breedlove, a volunteer at Lifeline Christian Mission.
“I went to Honduras in February and just seeing all of the impact that Lifeline is making, it makes a big difference,” said Michelle Hudson, an organizer of the meal packs at the Lifeline center in Louisville.
The meals packed at Lifeline consist of either rice and soy or rice and beans. With some dehydrated vegetables and protein powder added in, they are highly nutritious for the people that need them. The simplicity of the meals is what makes them have such a big impact.
“It’s got the nutrition and it’s easy. And they don’t have to worry about anything, you know?” Cindy Martin, another volunteer, said. “They’ve got enough other stuff to worry about, they don’t need to be worrying about food.”
Lifeline is a nationwide nonprofit organization, with six locations in the United States and two in Canada. It is not affiliated with a specific denomination, but partners with local churches near their centers to pack and fund meals. While the meals are currently going to Florida and other hurricane-hit areas, they usually go to places all around the world, according to Hudson.
Though the main purpose of Lifeline is to provide meals, they also seek to serve the communities the meals go to. Lifeline opens clinics to help the sick, provides opportunities for children to learn new skills to help them start careers and provides adults with business training and microloans to help them start businesses to provide for their families. All of this is possible through funding and volunteers from Lifeline Christian Mission.
According to Hudson, Lifeline is currently working with Convoy of Hope to send more meals down to Florida. Convoy of Hope is another nonprofit organization that provides meals and humanitarian aid.
With over 60,000 meals being distributed to hurricane affected areas from Lifeline centers across the country, it’s safe to say that Lifeline has done its part to provide aid. Lifeline has recently reached the landmark of 100 million meals provided to places all over the world.
Lifeline Christian Mission isn’t the only organization in Louisville working to provide aid. Several local businesses, such as Collins Nissan and Jo’s Barber Shop are making efforts as well. These businesses set up donation drives, collecting items such as toiletries, food, pet supplies, and other necessities. Donations were collected and sent to hurricane affected areas.
On Oct. 7, 17 firefighters from Louisville went to Florida. Their mission was to rescue as many people in affected areas as they could, providing them with relief and transporting them to a safer location.
As of Oct. 28, the power outages in Florida had returned to normal levels, with most regions only having between 0-10% of customers without service according to PowerOutage.us, a website dedicated to tracking power outages across the country.
As the meal packing session came to a close, volunteers gathered in the lobby to hear some closing remarks from the organizers. The volunteers applauded as the organizers announced how many meals were packed, content in the knowledge that by giving an hour of their time to volunteer, 4,320 people in areas devastated by natural disasters would get something to eat.
People come to volunteer at Lifeline for a variety of reasons. Some come with groups, some come by themselves. Some come to receive volunteer hours, some come to bond with their families. No matter who they are, volunteers take pride in knowing they are serving their community. To volunteer, complete the signup process on Lifeline’s website here. Meal packs are typically held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
“Young and old, everyone seems to enjoy it and have a lot of fun. It just feels good to give back to the community,” said Suzanne Bass, a volunteer at Lifeline Christian Mission.
