950+ Volunteers Pack 233K Meals for Hungry Kids

In a Cape Coral parish hall, 953 volunteers gathered for three days in February 2026 to pack meals that could save children's lives halfway around the world.

St. Katharine Drexel Parish hosted the annual Feed My Starving Children MobilePack from February 15 to 17. The event brought together students from local Catholic schools, church members from three different congregations, and community volunteers ranging from teenagers to people in their 80s.

The volunteers worked assembly line style, wearing hair nets and gloves as they measured, filled, sealed, and weighed specially formulated meals. These scientifically designed food packages help prevent and reverse malnutrition in children. By the end of the weekend, they had packed 233,280 meals.

The volunteer teams included 30 National Junior Honor Society students from St. Andrew Catholic School and 10 National Honor Society students from Bishop Verot Catholic High School. More than 40 youth group members and students from nearby Trafalgar Middle School also joined the effort.

St. Katharine Drexel partnered with Christ Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran churches to raise funds for the ingredients and organize the massive volunteer operation. Father Ricky Varner packed meals alongside volunteers while offering prayers for both the workers and the children who would receive the food.

The Ripple Effect

This single weekend represents just a fraction of the parish's impact. Over nine years of participating in MobilePack events, St. Katharine Drexel volunteers have packed more than 1.6 million meals total.

Feed My Starving Children estimates that hunger causes nearly half of all deaths in children under five globally. That translates to roughly 6,200 children dying daily from undernutrition. Since 2009, the organization has shipped meals to 110 countries.

The young volunteers learned a powerful lesson about collective action. Working together for just a few hours, they created meals that will directly impact the lives of children struggling with hunger across the globe.

The organizers, Barth and Mary Jo Wolf, already have the next event scheduled for February 14 to 16, 2027, and they're hoping for an even bigger turnout.