Naperville church packs meals for Sudan

Everybody in the Naperville church gymnasium Saturday morning had a mission.

For some it was sweeping up grains of rice. Others meticulously measured out scoops of vegetables.

Still more became pros at heat-sealing bags.

The fruits of their labor permeated the air as the lingering effects of meals destined for Sudan began taking shape.

By the end of the week, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church and Feed My Starving Children hope to have packed a million meals to ship to the troubled Darfur region of Sudan in Africa.

They've got a tight time frame -- they can only send the food when they know it can get through the Sudanese system, said Bea Pedersen, Chicago area development director for the food ministry.

Each of the bags of food was meticulously weighed, adjusted to be precisely uniform, then packed in exactly the same way in each box. The boxes then were placed in a specific pattern on pallets.

It's essential the pallets be balanced exactly right and weigh exactly the same to cut down on shipping costs, Pedersen said.

Each bag of food included six meals, each box included 36 bags and each pallet included 33 boxes. While a million servings should last 2,200 children about a year, the reality is that the need is much greater right now, she said.

The group sent a shipment of food only three months ago.

Bud Hildebrand stood guard over his table of volunteers, cheering them on to pack faster and to be more efficient.

His first go-around with the group was in October, when the church prepared 200,000 meals in just a few days. He was there daily -- and plans on keeping the same schedule this time.

With many groups, the Aurora man said, it's unclear how much of a donation actually benefits those to whom it's intended. That's not the case with Feed My Starving Children, he said, where virtually everything that's sent is delivered.

Only one shipment has ever been lost, the group says.

"We knew where it was going," Hildebrand said of their efforts. "I think that's the key to the whole program."

Bridget Williams heard about the effort on Moody radio and decided to bring along her entire family -- even though they attend another church. People of all faiths are invited.

They had such fun, the Plainfield woman said, they intend to continue once the group opens its warehouse location later this year in Aurora.

"This will be a regular family activity for us," she said.

Many of the two-hour shifts are full during the week, but the church specifically is still looking for volunteers in the afternoons Monday through Thursday. If it looks like they might not meet their deadline, they might switch from 12-hour days to 24-hour shifts, said Mike Ryder, director of outreach and social ministries for the church.

For more details on the program, call the church at (630) 355-8980 or visit its Web site where organizers will chart their progress at www.stapostle.org.