Christ Church Greenwich hosted their second Emergency Packathon with 200 volunteers who gathered in the Parish Hall to pack 35,000 meals for Ukrainian refugees on the border of Poland. People drove from around the tri-state area to help with this effort.
This is the second CCG Packathon. To date, they have raised $27,200 and packed 72,000 meals, with 425 volunteers.
Co-chairs and parishioners Dan Broderick and Melissa Redmond organized the volunteers, logistics, packing, and food deliveries, training volunteer packers as they arrived. At both CCG Packathons there was a long line of people wanting to help, checking in as they arrived.
Lisa Tebbe is a parishioner whose parents were Ukrainian refugees. She has been an integral part of the Christ Church Ukraine relief efforts. “To know that we’re feeding people and that there are people who really don’t know when their next meal is coming, or from where, we’re going to meet that need.”
“Everyone’s been so aggrieved by the Russian invasion,” said the Rev. Marek Zabriskie. “Someone once said, ‘Look for the angels.’ Well, the angels are here.”
The first CCG Packathon shipment is scheduled to arrive is Poland on Tuesday. The shipping company, who picked up the container at the docks in New Jersey, has shipped the food to Poland for free.
A Packathon is a volunteer group food packing event. During a two-and-a-half-hour shift, teams of volunteers assembled four complete nutritious ingredients: a carbohydrate, dehydrated vegetables, vitamin powder and a bean protein. Volunteers weigh the packages, sealed them and boxed them for distribution. This is a simple, organized, and cost-effective way to feed children and families who have fled their homes.
You can also donate to help fund Ukraine relief by going to christchurchgreenwich.org : https://onrealm.org/ParishChristChu/-/form/give/now
