McHenry County Blog

Twenty-four packing lines have been set up in the cafeteria of Hannah Beadsley Middle School.

If you are not doing anything Sunday morning, the First Methodist Church of Crystal Lake is hosting a meal packing morning for Haiti.

Methodist Church usher Bill Moll can be seen here at one of the Salvation Army’s packing lines at the old Cub Food store.  Virtually any aged person can help.

Two years ago the Salvation Army hosted a massive event at the old Cub Food Store in the failed shopping center behind Colonial Cafe.

Over 750,000 meals were packed.

The scoop on the Meals for Haiti Stirred to Serve event Sunday morning.

The Methodists’ goals are more modest.  I’ve heard the figure 30,000 at church.

More information about the Stirred to Serve Haiti meal preparation event.

There is room for 288 volunteers, who will start about 9 to 9:30 Sunday morning on August 19th.

When I read Chelsea McDougall’s heartfelt article about her father’s and mother’s work in Haiti and her trip to the area of the mission, I immediately thought of the huge food packing project by the Salvation Army at the old Cub Food store next to the old Walmart.

That was two years ago this month.

Cub Foods was packed for the 2010 Salvation Army-sponsored Haiti food packing.

Somewhere I had heard another Crystal Lake effort was to be made to help feed Haiti, but couldn’t remember where.

Two Sundays ago I discovered that it was my First United Methodist Church that was putting together such an event.

It will be at Hannah Beardsley Middle School on Sunday, August 19th.

Preparing the food packets will replace our 9:30 and 11 o’clock services.

As you can see from the 2010 photo below, really young people can play a role.

This young boy had the role of pounding the Haiti food packets to flatten them out and to test the seal.

They usually pound the food packets to flatten them out.  The pounding also tests the seal on the plastic packet.

Having been so impressed at the widespread community involvement, I asked the young man who explained the project’s goals, as well as our Senior Pastor Steve Bullmer, whether we were going to involve other churches.

It’s a relatively short timeline, but it can be done.

The announcement sheet talked of Methodist Church John Wesley’s vision of “the world is my parish.”

Indeed the Methodist Church is growing most rapidly in Africa.

The current vision is to meet at 9:30 on August 19th instead of going to church services.

No real reason that it could not be extended to cover the whole day with enough volunteers.

“During this service time, we will be creating and packing meals for families in Haiti and tackling ‘fix-up’ projects at the Hannah Beardsley Middle School…all while enjoying fellowship, music and prayer.”

The project is called “Stirred to Serve.”

“Our desire is that people of all ages will join in and make a difference here at home in Crystal Lake and make a difference miles away in Haiti.

“Won’t you share your time, talents and financial support with mankind?”

I asked how much it cost per food packet, which feeds a family for a day, and the answer was 25 cents.

Those who can’t help out physically, can do so by sending a check to FUMC of Crystal Lake at 236 W Crystal Lake Ave.   The phone number is 815-459-0785.

Eric Secker is the contact person for the project. His number is 630-808-1947.

Here's what I saw on the north side of the old Cub Food store from a ladder at about 2:30. Click to enlarge any image.

The old Cub Food building was packed with volunteers early Sunday afternoon.

View of the south side of the Cub Food store.

The Haitian flag hung near line number 50.

Enough rice and other ingredients had been packed Saturday to provide 440,000 meals to those living in Haiti.

There were fifty packing stations set up.

They seemed all full at 1:30.

But there were not enough volunteers for the rest of the day to meet the million meal goal.

"Thumbs up," this boy signals.

Young volunteers enjoyed the packing end of the line.  Not putting them in the box though.  That was too high for them.

How vigorous were the young folks with their packet pounding? Notice that the camera was not fast enough to stop the action of his hand.

They enjoyed the pounding the meal flat so it would fit into the box.

The contents of the meal was bunched at the bottom of the bag after it was sealed. Pounding it not only flattened the contents, it tested the strength of the seal.

Flattening the meals was a  job any kid could do.

There were no calls for "Clean up on Aisle 15," but some of the ingredients were spilled on the floor.

Accidents did happen.  Bags did break.

This little girl seemed to be writing a message to the children of Haiti.

She also put the boxes over her head once in a while.  Not to matter.  She had on a hair net.

Here's a mother and son team. The Mom sealed the plastic packets and the son flattened them.

This proves there was a job for any age group.

Bill Moll, an usher at the First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake, was packing the boxes next to my line.

I recognized Bill Moll packing boxes next to my station number 50.

Volunteers at the front of the line mesured amounts of variouis ingredients and funneled them into bags.

One of the advantages of being at the end of the production line was that one did not have to wear plastic gloves.

It wasn't just kids who caught me taking photos.

The arms and hands of Christ were all over the room.

Another "front of the line."

There were so many lines.

The weigh stations took a lot of patience.

In the middle of each line were stations where people weighed the bags and either took some of the contents out or added enough to make the desired weight.

From 5-7 Crystal Lake City Councilman Brett Hopkins and I were the bag sealers at our table.

Next on the line were us bag sealers.

The cymbal that was hit every 10,000 meals.

Every time another 10,000 meals were packed someone banged on a cymbal and announced the new total.

If you want to know what the ingredients are, you'll have to take a look at yesterday's article. One bag was placed on each colored square. When all were filled, they were loaded into a box and sealed with tape.

Just in case you didn’t read yesterday’s article, here’s what the bags looked like before they were flattened.

Among the tables still making meals when I left at 7 were two with people identifying themselves as members of the Mormon Church.

Sunday by 7 PM upwards of 780,000 were ready for the truck.

An announcement was made was made that 16 million means had already been shipped to Haiti.

The joint project in McHenry County between the Salvation Army and Numana was all over but the clean-up.

"One Million Meals for Haiti" the sign on the facade of the old Cub Food store next to the old Walmart store says. It is located across Route 14 from Sam's Club.

About 440,000 meals down, another 560,000 to go, if the Salvation Army’s goal of one million meals for Haiti is to be met.

This is the widest shot I got of those working in the old Cub Food store. Click to enlarge any image.

Oodles of McHenry County-area residents joined Kansas employees of Numana, which I first misread as “Humana,” to package bags of rice and other nutritious ingredients that would feed six people for a day.

You know I try to take informal shots, but this "thumbs up" guy saw me first.

The meals are headed for Haiti.

The ingredients of the meals for six for a day headed for earthquake savaged Haiti.

220 calories per half cup with only 5 from fat and only 14% carbohydrates, as I read the ingredients on the transparent bag I sealed about two hours worth Saturday with Crystal Lake Kiwanis members.

This was our line. You can see my friend Pete Castillo in the upper right. He's going back tomorrow. Will you join him?

There are a series of production lines.

Some were older folks who enjoyed the Beatles songs blaring over the public address system; some were younger.

The old Cub Food building was filled with them.

Another of the lines filling plastic bags with food.

But, apparently there were not enough to finish filling enough 6-meal bags to reach the 500,000 meal goal.

No need to guess what service club the man with the Cary Lions Shirt is wearing belongs to. Unaffiliated individuals are welcome as well.

So, volunteers are needed tomorrow afternoon.

Same entrance as before.

The doors open at one and close at six.

Crystal Lake Kiwanis and McHenry County Board member Tina Hill sat across from my sealing machine doing the same operation on her side of the line. Her daughter Alina Polly pushed the sealer and flattened the bags.

You can probably do at least two hours without feeling much pain.

Crystal Lake Kiwanis members, friends and family pose before about 400,000 meals ready to ship to Haiti. Click on the photo to see what individual faces look like when they shout, "Haiti!"

After a group’s shift, a photo was in order.  Above are Crystal Lake Kiwanians and friends they recruited.

Crystal Lake City Concilwoman Carolyn Schofield and her daughter Mary Clare sample the fare before going home to Saturday night dinner.

For those curious as to how the meal tastes, like Crystal Lake City Councilwoman Carolyn Schofield and her daughter Mary Clare, there was a crock pot full.  The woman behind the table said it tasted better fresh.  Since the meal is supposed to last all day, I imagine what we ate at the end of the day is what hungry residents of Haiti eat.

The tee shirt tells the goal of the Crystal Lake Salvation Army. They were 60,000 meals shot of half way at closing time Saturday night.

So far, the Numana web site says over 15 million meals have been prepared.

One of the jobs is flattening the bags and arranging them so that you know when there is enough to fill a box.

Will Crystal Lake push it up another million?

This Numana employee pitched in with the packing. I kiddingly asked her if she were "a migrant worker." She said in a way you call her that. Numana is based in Kansas.

Only if the place is packed with volunteers Sunday.

What do the volunteers get out of the experience?

Can you feel the warm and fuzzy feeling permeating these people who will know that at least for one day a million people in Haiti won't go hungry?

A warm and fuzzy feeling, plus, in my case, hands covered with food particles.  That’s because the bag sealers didn’t have to wear plastic gloves.

No gloves for the sealers.

Hair nets, yes, but plastic gloves, no.

Even if one has as little hair as I have.

Jeff Leonard ives in Haiti about 20-25 miles from the earthquake's epicenter. This picture was taken last year before his 12th birthday in December.

I wrote earlier of the Jeff Leonard, the Compassion International child we sponsor in Haiti.

A thank you letter for a supplementary donation came with the startling information that the Christian charitable organization “serves more than 65,000 children in Haiti.”

I don’t know about you, but I find that pretty amazing.

That takes a lot of feet on the ground.

One-third of those 65,000 children “live in the areas that were hardest hit.”

One of the aftershocks seems to have been near Jeff Leonard’s hometown, with is about as far from Port au Prince as Harvard is from Crystal Lake. My guess is the homes are all one-story, less dangerous that the multi-story homes in the country’s capital.

The letter says,

“Sadly, we anticipate there will be many deaths.

“We anticipated many of our church-based child development centers will have been destroyed (about 50 are thought to have been ‘seriously hit’).

Donations may be made at 800-336-7676 or here.

Compassion International staff members in Haiti.

Here’s up-to-date information on Compassion International’s efforts in Haiti.

We Skinners know because we sponsor a child about 25 miles east of the earthquake’s epicenter.

Jeff Leonard’s about my son’s age and lives with his grandmother and two other children in the family.

The grandmother sometimes sells things in the market.

His chores include gathering firewood, carrying water and helping in the kitchen.

I can’t tell from the photos we have received whether this now-12-year old is standing in front of his school or his home. Considering it seems to be built with concrete blocks, my guess is that it is his school.

Whatever the building, the concrete blocks might look like this today.

Jeff likes soccer and bicycling, is active in his church, is in choir and attends camp.

He’s a better correspondent that my family is.

No word from Compassion International about Jeff’s well-being yet, but the organization has indicated that money would be put to good use in its network of contacts in Haiti. The Haiti contribution page is here.

I was induced to sign up for a Compassion child by singer Bebo Norman at the First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake. He offered a free CD to those who made the commitment to support a child under the program.

So, if you would like to contribute to a group with a Christian mission, this is one place to go.