Boise Seeks 40 Volunteers to Pack 130K Meals for 9/11

More than 400 people in Boise are turning the anniversary of September 11 into something beautiful: a massive effort to feed hungry families across Idaho.

Organizers need 40 more volunteers for Friday's meal-packing event at JUMP Boise, where the community will assemble over 130,000 meals in just two hours. Every single meal will go to The Idaho Foodbank to help local families facing food insecurity.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at 1000 W. Myrtle St., and anyone can register online through 911day.org. This marks Boise's first time participating in the nationwide day of service.

The nonprofit 9/11 Day created this annual tradition to honor the victims and heroes of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Co-founder Jay Winuk lost his brother Glenn, a volunteer firefighter and EMT, at the World Trade Center that day.

Rather than letting grief define the anniversary, Winuk and co-founder David Paine worked to establish September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance under federal law. Now communities across America spend the day helping others.

The Ripple Effect

Boise's event is one of 51 large-scale service projects happening nationwide this year. Approximately 50,000 volunteers will pack more than 18 million meals across the country, creating a wave of generosity that will reach families in every corner of America.

Each volunteer who shows up Friday morning will help pack hundreds of meals during their two-hour shift. Those meals become breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for Idaho children and families who might otherwise go hungry.

The organizers chose meal-packing because it's something anyone can do, regardless of age or ability. Families can volunteer together, teaching children that service to others is how we honor both tragedy and triumph.

Twenty-five years after one of America's darkest days, Boise is proving that communities grow stronger when they turn remembrance into action.