Chances are pretty good that you have heard (and may have seen) that the summer Olympics are taking place in Rio. My family particularly enjoys watching the summer sports that only seem to catch our nation’s attention every four years. Although the games have just started, several records have been broken, especially in swimming events.
As I write this, we have had two days of swimming competition and four records have already been broken. My ten-year-old son noted the frequency of the record breaking and asked, “Dad, why does it seem like a record is being broken with every race? Are they that easy to break?”
I don’t know the answer to that question, except that breaking records is harder than it looks. But I do know that we at Feed the Hunger have surpassed some milestones, or “records,” of our own with the All-American Packathon this summer.
With the final packing shift last night, the event stretched to a record-breaking fifty-six days, from June 14 to August 8. This Packathon also had the most shifts we have ever conducted during one campaign: twenty-four different two-hour shifts. The last record set this summer was for the most locations hosting a shift for the same event. Six different locations from Charlotte to Wilmington, NC have hosted part of the All-American Packathon. A special thanks to all of you who have prayed for the success of this event, given to sponsor meals, and/or attended a shift to pack the meals.
We praise God for the more than 308,000 meals packed by over 1,400 participants, most of whom packed for the first time. These meals are now on standby to help our fellow Americans in their time of need. This campaign allows for more Christian food pantries to share the love of Christ and a few packages of FtH food with a family struggling to find their next meal. It also helps our disaster relief partners share a warm rice and bean meal and the hope of Christ with displaced victims after a flood, tornado, or hurricane.
So, yes, God has done something special this summer during the All-American Packathon. The meal count was exactly what He purposed it to be, and we are thankful for His abundant provision for this campaign, even though I don’t think God cares as much as we might about the records listed above. But I am confident that He cares very much, with a deep love, for the recipients of these meals who will hear about God’s love for them when they receive the food. Would you join us in praying for the fruit to come as these meals make a timely difference in the lives of our neighbors in the months ahead?
Scott Hahn | Packathon Director