Members of the Franklin Rotary Club do a meal-packing event with Pack Away Hunger, a nonprofit that puts together nutritious meal packets to feed the hungry locally and around the world. The Franklin club, together with Rotary Clubs in Center Grove and Greenwood, are organizing an effort to pack 100,000 meals for people in Ukraine. The meal packing events will be held Nov. 4 and 5, and organizers are looking for volunteers to help.
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The war in Ukraine has devastated the country, left millions of people displaced and completely upended life half a world away.
Here in Johnson County, the destruction can seem so far away. But the Ukrainian people need help — and local Rotary Clubs have a way to do it.
Johnson County’s three Rotary Clubs — in Franklin, Greenwood and the Center Grove area — are working together to pack 100,000 meals for victims of the war in Ukraine. In order to fund the meal packing event, which will take place on Nov. 4 and 5, organizers are soliciting donations from throughout the community.
“The provision of nutritious meals is important to the club as it will allow residents of Ukraine to begin transitioning from surviving to thriving. When a person’s sole daily focus is to find food, little else matters,” said Melissa Winslow with the Center Grove Rotary Club. “When food security is established, residents are then able to shift their focus to rebuilding their lives and communities. As strong communities are re-established, the hope for a better tomorrow can take root and grow.
“In an area of the world where much hope is needed, our club is humbled to play a small part in helping our fellow man.”
The clubs are also looking for volunteers to help pack the meals. Registration is now open, and organizers need 200 volunteers each day to work two-hour shifts.
The process is designed so volunteers of any age and ability can help with it.
“Together, we want to fight hunger in Ukraine because no one should ever go to bed hungry when there’s a chance to help,” said Carol Phipps, a member of the Franklin Rotary Club. “Let’s work together to bring food and hope to every table.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the country has been left in ruins. According to the World Bank, the war has left nearly 25% of the Ukrainian people living in poverty. The United Nations has found that 20% of the population is reliant on humanitarian aid to survive, with 44% of people saying they don’t have enough money to meet essential needs.
Those statistics motivated leaders of the county’s Rotary Clubs to do something.
“Rotary Clubs are all about ‘service above self.’ Projects often benefit the local community. In addition, Rotary Clubs are known for their international work especially helping countries undergoing humanitarian hardships,” Phipps said. “The Rotary Clubs in Johnson County recognized they could come together to address the humanitarian hardships in Ukraine.”
The clubs are working with Pack Away Hunger, a Beech Grove-based organization that puts together meal packaging campaigns to help reduce hunger and malnutrition locally and around the world. Through partnerships with different schools, churches, businesses and other groups throughout the area, they are able to pack and distribute nutrition-fortified meals, that simply require water, a pot and heat to prepare.
“Partnering with Pack Away Hunger, Rotary is striving to bring as many community members together as possible to contribute funding and to volunteer at the packing events in order to send 100,000 meals to Ukraine,” Phipps said.
Since early this summer, Rotary Clubs have been working to raise money to support the meal-packing effort. In order to pack 100,000 meals, they need to raise $35,000; so far, they’ve generated enough money to pack 33,000 meals, Phipps said.
“The Greenwood Rotary Club focuses on supporting local efforts to improve the quality of life for the people of Greenwood but also supports efforts around the world,” said William Kovach with the Greenwood Rotary Club. “The opportunity to work with Carol Phipps and the Pack Away Hunger initiative is an opportunity that makes sense.”
On Nov. 4 and 5, organizers will gather hundreds of volunteers to help pack the meals in assembly-line stations. The Nov. 4 session will be held at Webb Elementary School in Franklin, with shifts from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Volunteers can also sign up to pack meals on Nov. 5 at Greenwood Middle School from 1 to 3 p.m. or 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
“It’s a chance for volunteers from across the community to come together in a really fun setting. Even little kids can do it,” Phipps said. “It really helps teach the youth in the community, about giving and making a difference.”
AT A GLANCE
Ukraine hunger relief program
What: An effort to raise money to pack 100,000 meals to address the humanitarian crisis ongoing in Ukraine.
Who: The Franklin, Greenwood and Center Grove Rotary Clubs
When: The meal-packing event will be held Nov. 4 and 5
How to volunteer: Organizers need 200 volunteers to help pack meals each day of the campaign. The Nov. 4 session will be held at Webb Elementary School, 1400 Webb Ct., Franklin, with shifts from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Volunteers can also sign up to pack meals on Nov. 5 at Greenwood Middle School, 1584 Averitt Road, from 1 to 3 p.m. or 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. To sign up, go to donate.packawayhunger.org/rotary-ukraine-relief
How to donate: Online donations can be made at donate.packawayhunger.org/rotary-ukraine-relief. Checks can be sent to Pack Away Hunger, 5230 Park Emerson Dr., Suite A, Indianapolis, IN 46203. Include “Rotary-Ukraine” in memo line to fund the project. Donations are tax-deductible.
