Two-day mega pack will observe Mercy Meals’ 10th anniversary

    It’s been a team effort the past 10 years, according to one Mercy Meals board member as she looks forward to a decade of service.
    Mercy Meals’ 10-year anniversary arrives this year with a celebration in October. Wauneta will be the site for a two-day mega pack Oct. 7-8, with an appreciation open house for volunteers on Sunday, Oct. 9.
    Mary Haarberg of Imperial, Mercy Meals board treasurer, said volunteers over the years have spent thousands of hours packing meals for hungry adults and children around the world.
    After the local packing is finished, the meals are shipped to Norfolk, where they leave by the Orphan Grain Train to provide hunger relief both in the United States and to more than 60 countries around the world, she said.
    The first packing here was Sept. 25, 2012, and since that time, Haarberg said 1,815,321 meals have been packed in Chase County.
    “We are on track to meet our goal of 2 million meals in our anniversary year,” she said.
    That won’t come during the mega pack in October, but they are on track to hit it later this year, she said, in the year of their 10th anniversary.
    Normally a “pack” involves  a one-time gathering of volunteers for about two  hours who will put together meals for 9,000 to 10,000 people.
    The October “mega pack” will do 11 times that, she said, with packing between 85,000 and 90,000 meals as the goal.
    One meal will feed six children and contains soy, rice, dehydrated vegetables and mineral powder. Each meal costs 12 cents.
    To put the meals together, Haarberg said they utilize volunteers not only from Chase County, but from other parts of Nebraska, as well as Kansas and Colorado.
    Volunteers in Wauneta where the house is located are key, she noted, because they help unload the food product for packing, load up the meals into the truck once packed, mow the lawn, spray around the property and help with other house upkeep tasks.
    Haarberg noted all of their packs have been done at the Wauneta Mercy Meals house, except for a mega pack in 2014 to support the Philippines and one more recently to observe Imperial Zion Lutheran Church’s 100th anniversary, she said. Those were headquartered at the church in Imperial.
    Community and student organizations, church groups and families help provide the manpower for the packing, she said. Special anniversary packs and memorial packs have also been scheduled over the years.
    And it’s all done as a non-profit organization, she added.
    “We are 100% volunteers. All the money that is donated goes entirely for purchasing product to package meals, 100%,” she said.
    Money raised from fundraisers such as brat, hamburger and Indian taco feeds, their yearly Christmas bake sale and other bake sales help with house upkeep and utilities.
    “Our 10-year success is the result of teamwork. Our volunteers are excellent,” Haarberg said.
    She said their efforts haven’t only helped feed starving people, but it’s also brought a community together.
    COVID put a stop to their meal packing from March 2020 to November 2021, but they are back at it now as the 10-year anniversary nears.
    She said their goals take an army, but what they’ve accomplished is the result of constant teamwork and a dedicated board of directors.
    For the Oct. 7-8 event, Haarberg said there will be 11 packs spread over the two days. A total of 220 volunteers will be needed to fill all 11 packing time slots, she said.
    Each pack lasts one and a half to two hours.
    To sign up for a pack, volunteers can go to: mer cymealsofsouthwestnebras ka.org. Haarberg can also be contacted at 308-883-6761.
    The Oct. 9 open house begins at 11:30 a.m. with a meal at the Wauneta Community Center followed by a program at 12:30 p.m.
    Edie Noffke, one of the Mercy Meals of Nebraska founders from Norfolk, plans to attend the open house. Another special guest will be Rev. Elias Mukindia, pastor of the First United Methodist Churches in Wauneta and Palisade, who is a native of Kenya.
    Haarberg said those unable to come and package meals but want to contribute can make donations to help purchase ingredients for the meals.
    Donations can be sent to Mercy Meals of SWNE, P.O. Box 474, Wauneta NE 69045. Donations will also be accepted at the open house.