The Outreach Program, National Hunger-Fighting Nonprofit Salutes The Kansas National Guard for Helping Package Over 5 Million Meals for People Affected by Food Insecurity Due to COVID-19

Des Moines, Iowa—The Outreach Program, a leading national hunger-fighting nonprofit that addresses food insecurity through nutritional meal packaging, has announced the successful packaging of over 5 Million meals to help people in need during the COVID-19 crisis. This significant milestone resulted from the spirited collaboration and partnership with FEMA, Kansas Food Banks, and The Kansas National Guard.

Since the Outreach Program’s inception, it has accomplished a proven track record of distributing over 550 Million meals. The nonprofit usually relies on volunteers to package nutritional meals through community-based events. However, because of the recent COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, which prohibited community events with large gatherings, it left many food banks and food pantry partners in need of help to fulfill the promise to support those who suffer from food insecurity.

The Kansas National Guard stepped into that role, and in a matter of weeks, working in organized assembly lines, while social distancing and following proper precautions., the guard members have been able to package 5 million meals ready to ship out. Once the meals were packaged, The National Guard assists in distribution, both directly to Kansans and to three food banks in the state: the Kansas Food Bank, Harvesters, and Second Harvest.

Floyd Hammer, Chairman of The Outreach Program, stated, “The Kansas National Guard soldiers stepped in when we needed them most, and their passionate support and commitment to the mission of helping their fellow citizens makes us proud to see how Americans come together at times of crisis. We salute the Kansas National Guard and its soldiers for their spirited contribution to this operation’s success and are grateful to have them as our partners in fighting food insecurity.”

Rick McNary, vice president of strategic partnerships for the Iowa-based Outreach Program, added, “I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’ve been doing it for a decade,” McNary said. “It’s astonishing. They showed up, and they work hard eight hours a day, and they become incredibly efficient.”

See a full report about the Kansas National Guard’s effort, See the full video report as posted on Kansascity.com: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article243676572.html. 

About The Outreach Program

The Outreach Program is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) corporation that organizes food packaging events in North America and internationally. Outreach has helped to package more than 550 million meals that have been distributed across the United States and around the world. Outreach Meal Packaging Events are set up across the United States to engage businesses, religious and civic organizations, schools, and volunteers of all ages to package nutritious meals for the hungry.