Norma Henton had seen stories about the Numana hunger relief campaign on television, but she didn't know much about the project.
That changed in June, when the Dodge City woman and her husband visited their daughter's church in Platte City, Mo. The church had recently joined the Numana campaign, and members of the congregation were passing out rice bags and explaining the project to each other.
The rice bags piqued the Hentons' interest, so they brought one back to Dodge City. And after Henton gathered more information about Numana, she pitched the idea of participating in the project to the congregation of the Wilroads Garden Christian Church.
"Our church was very responsive, and they brought the coordinator out the first time," Henton said in an interview Tuesday. "Since then, it's just grown into a southwest Kansas project."
At least two dozen southwest Kansas churches have expressed interest in joining the local Numana project, dubbed "Share the Bounty — Save the Starving." Several other local organizations, including Youthville, Dodge City Community College and the 4-H club, have also said they will lend a hand.
Here's how it works: The El Dorado-based Numana Inc. provides 260,130 meal bags containing rice, soy, freeze-dried beans, vitamins and minerals. Local partners buy the food, furnish a building for packing the food and recruit volunteers to help pack.
"Share the Bounty — Save the Starving" organizers have raised about $17,000 so far and need another $61,000 so they can buy the food. Organizers also need 1,500 volunteers to pack food into shipping containers.
The Salvation Army will ship the food to its headquarters in Haiti, where packets will be distributed to starving families.
Henton said working on the project showed her that southwest Kansans are willing to help needy people in other countries.
"It's definitely made me more aware of the goodness people have in their heart — the givers that we have in southwest Kansas," she said. "And it's also been great to see that we can work together — the different churches and the different organizations — all for one purpose."
People interested in donating to the project may send contributions to Numana-Share the Bounty, 11046 W. Highway 56, Dodge City, KS 67801. Volunteers may also sign up to pack food Oct. 2 at the Civic Center.
Registration for the food-packing event is encouraged, but walk-in volunteers are also welcome.
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Norma Henton had seen stories about the Numana hunger relief campaign on television, but she didn't know much about the project.
That changed in June, when the Dodge City woman and her husband visited their daughter's church in Platte City, Mo. The church had recently joined the Numana campaign, and members of the congregation were passing out rice bags and explaining the project to each other.
The rice bags piqued the Hentons' interest, so they brought one back to Dodge City. And after Henton gathered more information about Numana, she pitched the idea of participating in the project to the congregation of the Wilroads Garden Christian Church.
"Our church was very responsive, and they brought the coordinator out the first time," Henton said in an interview Tuesday. "Since then, it's just grown into a southwest Kansas project."
At least two dozen southwest Kansas churches have expressed interest in joining the local Numana project, dubbed "Share the Bounty — Save the Starving." Several other local organizations, including Youthville, Dodge City Community College and the 4-H club, have also said they will lend a hand.
Here's how it works: The El Dorado-based Numana Inc. provides 260,130 meal bags containing rice, soy, freeze-dried beans, vitamins and minerals. Local partners buy the food, furnish a building for packing the food and recruit volunteers to help pack.
"Share the Bounty — Save the Starving" organizers have raised about $17,000 so far and need another $61,000 so they can buy the food. Organizers also need 1,500 volunteers to pack food into shipping containers.
The Salvation Army will ship the food to its headquarters in Haiti, where packets will be distributed to starving families.
Henton said working on the project showed her that southwest Kansans are willing to help needy people in other countries.
"It's definitely made me more aware of the goodness people have in their heart — the givers that we have in southwest Kansas," she said. "And it's also been great to see that we can work together — the different churches and the different organizations — all for one purpose."
People interested in donating to the project may send contributions to Numana-Share the Bounty, 11046 W. Highway 56, Dodge City, KS 67801. Volunteers may also sign up to pack food Oct. 2 at the Civic Center.
Registration for the food-packing event is encouraged, but walk-in volunteers are also welcome.
