Huntsville church sends 75,000 meals to Haiti

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) – Nearly 200 volunteers assembled at First Baptist Church in Huntsville on Wednesday to prepare 75,000 meals for people in Haiti.

The operation is nearly entirely run by students, namely, Thomas Ziegler and Drew Crocker. Both members of the student ministry, they said their faith drives their volunteer spirit.

“There’s a need in our community, a need in our world because of food insecurity,” said Crocker. “So it’s great that we get to come together as a church to help.”

First Baptist Church paid $24,000 for the supplies and their shipment to Haiti. Each meal cost only 33 cents.

“We have a mac and cheese meal, a soup meal, and a rice and beans meal,” said Ziegler. “And those are pre-prepared, so all they need is water.”

Pastor Travis Collins said that global outreach and aid are central to his vocation as a Christian.

“Our motto is the heart of the city, the heart of the region, and the world,” he said. “Haiti is part of our larger world, so it fits very much with our sense of mission.”

First Baptist Church will host the ‘meal pack’ again next summer, and Crocker said the church will have similar volunteer opportunities this fall.

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