House of Mercy needs volunteers Oct. 17 to pack 150,000 meals in Campaign to End Hunger

The House of Mercy is sponsoring the fifth annual Campaign to End Hunger, a project which will use volunteers to pack 150,000 meals on Saturday, October 17.

In a press release, Ann Cimini, the executive director, said the House of Mercy is a Catholic-based humanitarian non-profit dedicated to serving the poor, marginalized and forgotten by sharing God’s mercy. Among its services are a food pantry and a thrift store.

The Campaign to End Hunger is one of its projects that seeks help from the community. Last year, volunteers packed over 100,000 meals, which were sent to the Appalachian region. This year the House of Mercy is supporting a food distribution hub called the St. Lucy Project, which is located in Manassas. Cimini said St. Lucy provides food to pantries across Northern Virginia, including those run by individual parishes and any food pantry that requests food. This year’s goal is to make a significant contribution of food to the poor in the northern half of Virginia.

Cimini said the Campaign to End Hunger is the House of Mercy’s major fundraising activity. The fee to participate is $20 for a two-hour shift. That money covers the cost of meal ingredients, supplies and shipping as well as support and education programs. The packing day runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and only 320 packing positions are available. She said the 10 a.m. and noon shifts usually fill quickly.

“Ninety-two cents of each donation dollar House of Mercy receives goes back into our programs to support and serve the poor,” said Cimini.  “This event will celebrate people and groups who are coming together to support House of Mercy.”

The packing will be held at the Manassas Park Community Center at 99 Adams St. in Manassas Park. To register, visit HouseOfMercyVA.org and click on ‘Our Causes’. One may also visit in person at 8170 Flannery Ct. in Manassas, call 703-659-1636 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for more information.