Team Luke packages food for kidz

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Meredith Mingledorff
  • 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Service members and their families from Luke Air Force Base partnered with several community organizations Saturday to package meals to fight global hunger.

Nearly 200 volunteers came together in Hangar 999 here to package approximately 78,000 bagged meals. The nutritionally complete entrees are headed to the Horn of Africa, where they will be distributed to children in need by Food for Kidz, whose mission is to provide the opportunity to anyone to package a specially designed, fully nutritious meal and to distribute this packet of food to hungry children and their families where crisis has struck and there is an immediate need.

"The idea for this event was originally brought to us by a volunteer in 2011," said Chaplain (Capt.) Carlos Brito, 56th Fighter Wing Chapel. "Mr. Cal Holm has been volunteering in our Spiritual Maintenance Program for years and it was his effort that inspired this movement."

The chaplain said it was shared community spirit through volunteers and units from across Luke AFB that allowed this project its success.

"We put Mr. Holm in touch with Mr. Karl Main, a military missionary with Cadence International who has been serving Luke for nearly 13 years," he said. "Together they were able to tie in community partners like Grace Bible Church from Sun City, financial supporters of the event, and Food for Kidz of Minnesota, who provided the ingredients and transportation for the meals."

Team Luke spent about four hours on the weekend packaging ready-to-cook meals. The meals of rice, soy flour, dehydrated vegetables, vegan protein powder and spices are sealed in industrial-grade plastic bags and have a shelf life of seven years. Once in-country, feeding centers will customize these basic meals with traditional flavors and spices, supplementing with meat when available.

"This is a tangible example of service before self," said Chaplain (1st Lt.) Karlton Edison, 56th FW Chapel. "I was so excited to be part of an event that brought together so many people for the cause of feeding children. Through the Food for Kidz event, Luke will impact the lives of children all over the world!"

According to organizers, the humanitarian project was a base-wide event bringing Airmen together from both wings, every group and every affiliation.

"I decided to volunteer for the event because I like to stay busy, and I enjoy spending my free time serving," said Airman 1st Class Lathaniel Amelsberg, 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron. "It was great to get together with my shop outside of our everyday work setting to help out with a great cause."

Organizers hope to make the event an annual community project and are inspired by the magnitude of the effort.

"When you look at the operations tempo, economic environment and the limitations we have, this project makes sense," Brito said. "Great community support with little to no effect on our resources make this a great fit; and the obvious direct impact, we are going to feed starving people. We are literally going to save lives. This project was something we had to do."