‘WHOEVER NEEDS IT MOST’

Middle school student Madeline Hoffman leads Rise Against Hunger event packing up 10,000 meals for those in need

Madeline Hoffman didn’t know where the 10,000 meals she and a group of other volunteers were packing up the evening of April 20 at Pennridge North Middle School would end up.

“It could be local or it could be across the world,” said Hoffman, an eighth grade student at the school and the organizer of the meal packing event.

She knew who the meals were going to, though.

“Whoever needs it the most,” she said.

Each of the meals included rice, vitamins, soy and dehydrated vegetables, she said.

Ryan Ehnts, a community engagement coordinator with Rise Against Hunger, formerly known as Stop Hunger Now, said the meals will be distributed to persons in need within four to six weeks, after which Hoffman will be notified where the meals went.

The majority of the

“She’s just a go-getter and cares about people.”

— Pennridge North Middle School Principal Matthew Cole, on Madeline Hoffman

meals distributed by the group go to school feeding programs, he said.

After being packed up, the meals were headed to a warehouse in Folcroft and added with the meals from other area packing events until 285,000 — enough to fill a shipping container — accumulated, he said.

“A partner in one of 74 countries across the world makes a request of us, we send them the meals,” Ehnts said, “and then they distribute the meals.”

The meals are packed in bags that each hold six meals, he said.

It costs 29 cents per meal, he said, putting the cost of the 10,000 meals at about $3,000.

Hoffman led fundraising efforts at the school that brought in $2,000, then added grant money to cover the full cost, she said.

Along with organizing the meal packing event, Hoffman started the Budde Bag Club at the school, which makes bags that people using a walker or wheelchair can attach to the walker or wheelchair to help carry items or children in the hospital can attach to bed rails, Penn North Principal Matthew Cole said.

Hoffman also makes bibs for children at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, he said.

“She’s just a go-getter and cares about people,” Cole said, describing Hoffman as “very remarkable” and “very impressive.”

The meal packing events are held in conjunction with a variety of organizations, including schools, businesses, houses of worship and civic organizations, Ehnts said. A lot of companies do it as a team building event, he said.

People as young as in kindergarten have helped organize the events, he said. Meal packing events have also been done as part of Boy Scout or Girl Scout programs and at youth lock-ins, he said.

“We’ve even had people do it for a birthday party,” Ehnts said.

BOB RAINES — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Principal Matthew Cole hands off a weighed meal pouch to student Yese Vraco for heat sealing.

BOB RAINES — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Student Sydney Peoples and parent Lisa Hoffman lay out meal pouches on a grid assuring a proper meal count for each box packed during a Rise Against Hunger meal packing event at Pennridge North Middle School.

PHOTOS BY BOB RAINES — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Peter Derrow, left, Deretha Garrett, teaching assistant, Maddie Hoffman and Jules Strause fill meal bags with dry ingredients at Pennridge North Middle School for Pennridge FISH.

Above, Pennridge North Middle School students Maddie Hoffman, left rear, Elizabeth Scavuzzo, front, and Yese Vraco assemble boxes to pack up 10,000 meals for Pennridge FISH. At left, students Vincent Sordini and Skyla Dingaro and teachers Terri Noble...

Parent Lisa Hoffman stacks cartons of packaged meals on a cart once she has finished sealing them.

Ellie Towsey leans on the hand of a heat-sealer as she closes meal pouches before counting and packing.