First Epworth United Methodist Church 
6485 Allisonville Road 
Indianapolis, IN 46220 
317-251-1481

Contact: Pastor Rodney Frieden 
317-670-5166 cell
rodney.frieden@inumc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
October 9, 2017

A church rallies to create 50,000 Meals in one morning to help fight hunger

Indianapolis, Indiana  –  On October 15th, people of all ages will converge on Epworth United Methodist Church as they always do on a Sunday morning at 9:30 am for worship. But this morning of worship will be a bit different as multiple assembly lines will be operated by the worship attendees to package over 50,000 vitamin-fortified meals in partnership with Pack Away Hunger (packawayhunger.org).  

The meals prepared are formulated by food scientists to provide a rich source of easily digestible protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins needed by an undernourished child’s body and mind. The food is also acceptable to a broad diversity of ethnic tastes. The food offers all 9 of the essential amino acids required for complete nutrition, something that can’t be said about other typical food relief sources such as rice or beans alone. The meals consist of high-quality white rice, fortified soy, a blend of 6 dehydrated vegetables, and 21 vitamins & minerals. It is also very simple to prepare, requiring only 6 cups of boiling water to make a complete meal.

A shift in stewardship thought, led the church to designate all of the profits from their Annual Fish Fry to benefit a worthwhile mission project. So the idea of feeding people in June through a Fish Fry has now become a Packing Event to create more meals to feed those in need. The meals packed will be shared globally through Mission Guatemala and will also benefit many of our area food pantries.  

“The idea that one person can make a difference is not new. We are trying to show that a united community of faith can work together to help end problems as well,” said Senior Pastor Rodney Frieden of Epworth United Methodist Church in Indianapolis.  

Lucinda Lautz commented, “as a member of this church I cannot express how exciting it is to see the church coming together in one effort for such a great cause!”    

Pastor Rodney continued, “Stewardship is not just about money. It is also about our time and our talents. We simply wanted to help our congregation see stewardship in action and help them live their faith in a tangible way. A day of service working together to help end world hunger is a great object lesson.”

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