Elon volunteers pack meals for hurricane relief

October 27, 2024

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“Everyone deserves to eat” is painted on the warehouse wall of the Second Harvest Food Bank in Winston-Salem. Volunteers from Elon University took that motto to heart as they packaged meals and supplies on Oct. 25 for those impacted by Hurricane Helene — including disaster relief workers — in western North Carolina.

In a partnership between Elon University’s Kernodle Center for Civic Life and Second Harvest, students, faculty and staff boarded a bus and traveled to the central center of Second Harvest in Winston-Salem.

Second Harvest is a regional food bank responsible for providing food and supplies to 18 counties in NC, from Boone to Burlington. According to Second Harvest, eight of the counties it serves are considered hurricane impact areas by FEMA.

"Everyone deserves to eat" is Second Harvest Food Bank's motto as seen on Oct. 25. The food bank serves 18 counties in North Carolina.

Assistant Registrar Hannah Southern ’22 volunteered alongside her colleagues from the Registrar's office. She said she saw this event as an opportunity to support communities western North Carolina without having to travel far.

“It’s really humbling to think about the opportunities that I have access to, the resources I have and how difficult it must be to not have easy access,” Southern said. “So I felt really grateful that I was able to contribute and make a difference and help provide that to somebody else who might not have it.”

Two weeks after the hurricane hit communities in the west, Second Harvest began packing meals. With five meals in each box, volunteers and employees have packed around 10,800 ready-to-eat meal boxes, according to Second Harvest staff.

The food in the boxes comes from Feeding America and the food bank’s partners, including local and national grocery stories.

For two hours, Elon volunteers — and a few students from Wake Forest — checked expiration dates, organized goods, broke down cardboard and packed over two pallets worth of boxes.

Elon volunteers pack meals and supplies at Second Harvest Food Bank in Winston-Salem on Oct. 25.

At first, Southern felt overwhelmed by the quick pace of the process, but said she eventually got into the rhythm of packing.

“You’re all sort of talking through it together, trying to figure out what we were doing,” Southern said. “It was just a good community environment.”

As a partner of Feeding America, Second Harvest is a member of a larger network of food banks across the country.

Second Harvest’s sister organization, MANNA FoodBank, serves communities in western North Carolina. During the storm, MANNA’s headquarters in Asheville was destroyed, which left Second Harvest responsible for bridging the gap.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, about 10.9% of the population – roughly 1.2 million people – are experiencing food insecurity in the state. With homes and resources destroyed after the storm, this number has significantly increased.

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reissued 70% of the September's SNAP benefits on Oct. 6 to help replace food that had been destroyed or was no longer safe to eat.

The Kernodle Center for Civic Life partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank to pack meals and supplies for those in need in western North Carolina on Oct. 25 in Winston-Salem.

The trip to Second Harvest was freshman Eli Karpas’ first time volunteering with the Kernodle Center. Karpas said he volunteered with food banks back home in Houston, Texas, and wanted to continue volunteering at Elon.

“It’s a great way for people to get together, to not only support other people, but also to feel good about yourself,” Karpas siad. “I mean, you’re helping other communities. What’s better than that?”

Bob Frigo, assistant dean of campus life and director of the Kernodle Center for civic life, said the Kernodle Center chose to travel to Winston-Salem rather than western North Carolina in order to be supportive, but not intrusive. Frigo said it’s important to not overwhelm the local communities.

However, Frigo said the Kernodle Center is planning on offering an alternative spring break trip to western North Carolina which focuses on providing relief assistance.

Annica Gaebel, assistant registrar, said it was a rewarding experience to be able to give back to communities in need.

“I think it’s really important to just really support your community — big or small,” Gaebel said. “We’re not directly out in the community to give this to them, but no matter what, you’re helping.”

As people still work to rebuild after the storm, the Kernodle Center will return to Second Harvest to pack more boxes on Nov. 8 and Dec. 6.