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<p>DALLAS &#8212; The Orange United Methodist Church does much more than provide its attendees opportunities to hear inspiring messages and sing uplifting Christian songs on Sunday mornings.</p><p>The little church nestled in the Back Mountain is attempting to reach the world, participating in the &#8220;Stop Hunger Now &#8221; effort, as a part of an international relief agency fulfilling a commitment to end hunger over the next 15 years.</p><p>The program provides the blueprint for organizations to hold meal-packaging events and transport the completed packages to areas where people don&#8217;t have enough to eat.</p><p>In order to make that vision a reality, the church needs to collect $6,000. It is more than halfway to that goal, according to organizer Kay Love.</p><p>&#8220;The more funds we raise, the more meals we can provide for those in need,&#8221; said Love.</p><p>Organizers are also looking for volunteers of all ages.</p><p>&#8220;The more volunteers who come, the faster we will get the work done,&#8221; said Love. &#8220;They can come for an hour or stay for the whole event.&#8221;</p><p>The church held its first meal packaging event in 2014 with 70 volunteers packaging 10,000 meals.</p><p>Nolan Hedglin, 11, and his sister, Madison, 9, who both volunteered at that event, said it was a lot of fun and hoped to have the chance to do it again.</p><p>&#8220;The kids worked really hard,&#8221; said Jack Mokychic, an organizer of the event. &#8220;They did anything that we asked them to do.&#8221;</p><p>Love said this year&#8217;s Vacation Bible School held in June was focused on missions, and she looks forward to young attendees returning to the church to participate in the event.</p><p>A missionary to Haiti with her husband, Richard, Love credits the Stop Hunger Now effort with providing a positive and efficient means of feeding the hungry.</p><p>&#8220;Following our last event, we got an email detailing where the meals we packaged went,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We had a vision of those we were helping.&#8221;</p><p>Volunteers will measure ingredients, weigh and seal bags and pack the packages into shipping boxes.</p><p>Ingredients of the meal packages have been carefully selected to provide both nutrition and flavor. They include rice, soy, vegetables, flavoring, vitamins and minerals. Each package provides six servings.</p><p>Mokychic, who has attended the church with his family for more than 40 years, said in serving others, church members are making their own lives better.</p><p>He added church members also prepare meals for the Keystone Rescue Mission&#8217;s &#8220;Meal and a Message&#8221; program, with each participating member completing a specific task.</p><p>&#8220;Some of us cook, some of us transport food, some of us serve the meal,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We work together.&#8221;</p><p>The program also provides education in those countries on such topics as nutrition and planting small crops, according to Love.</p><p>Church organizers invite members of other churches and individuals to partner in the project.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;d welcome churches, organizations and individuals to join us in this mission,&#8221; said Love. &#8220;We look forward to this being a real community effort.&#8221;</p><p>Monetary donations for the project can be sent to the Orange United Methodist Church c/o 308 Village Road, Dallas, PA, 18612. For more information, call Pastor Ruth Liples at 570-333-4269.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Volunteers participate in the 2014 &#8216;Stop Hunger Now&#8217; event at Orange United Methodist Church where 40 volunteers packaged 10,000 meals. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_15041188159_e60323706e_b.jpg</photo0><caption0>Volunteers participate in the 2014 &#8216;Stop Hunger Now&#8217; event at Orange United Methodist Church where 40 volunteers packaged 10,000 meals. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_15041188889_089389b787_b.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Members of the Orange United Methodist Church&#8217;s are raising money and soliciting volunteers to again hold a &#8216;Stop Hunger Now&#8217; event in September. Members hope to package 20,000 meals. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_15041188889_089389b787_b.jpg</photo1><caption1>Members of the Orange United Methodist Church&#8217;s are raising money and soliciting volunteers to again hold a &#8216;Stop Hunger Now&#8217; event in September. Members hope to package 20,000 meals. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p class="Body"><em><strong>HUNGER FACTS</strong></em><ul><li class="Body P-1">Hunger kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined</li><li class="Body P-1">Stunted mental and physical growth (caused by malnourishment) in the first 1000 days of life is mostly irreversible</li><li class="Body P-1">3.165 million children in South Africa suffer from household hunger</li><li class="Body P-1">Global supplies of food exceed demand</li></ul></p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Orange United Methodist Church to hold ‘Stop Hunger Now’ event in September