CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church is gearing up to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Monsignor McSweeney World Hunger Drive, which provides food and support to the hungry and the homeless locally and around the world.
The drive will be conducted in two parts. Part one, the fundraising campaign, will take place July 9-31. Part two is an in-person meal-packing event on Saturday, Aug. 13. Organizers plan to engage more than 1,200 energized volunteers from the parish to assemble 300,000 meals.
The hunger drive will benefit the people of Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, where 80% of the population lives on less than $2 per day. The effects of COVID-19, a failing economy, political instability, gang violence, droughts and hurricanes are raising the levels of hunger and leading to increased levels of severe child malnutrition. A monetary donation of $100 will help feed a child for a year and save him or her from starvation.
This year’s goal is to provide a minimum of 300,000 pounds of food and critical supplies to the Missionaries of the Poor for distribution in Cap-Haitien, Haiti.
Donations will fund sustainability projects and subsidize the education of children at St. Marc School in Tremesse, Haiti. The growing school has more than 370 students, with 16 additional classrooms now under construction. This year St. Marc will graduate its first class of students to complete secondary school (high school). St. Marc also will open a new trade school to teach job skills that help students find employment. The initial plan is to offer training for sewing, which will support the growing fabric industry in Haiti.
Beyond support for the people of Haiti, and true to the mission of the World Hunger Drive, the current efforts allow continued support of feeding children at a parish in Venezuela and helping a boys’ hostel in India. The drive will also continue to provide food and funds to assist the local homeless through food banks such as Second Harvest and Mel’s Diner.
As St. Matthew celebrates the 20th anniversary of the drive, organizers are grateful for the exceptional generosity and efforts of their parishioners and friends in the community, enabling them to provide over 3,762,000 pounds of food and medical supplies. The meal-packing effort alone provided about 3 million packaged meals, shared primarily in Haiti and in our local community. Additionally, they have provided hundreds of thousands of dollars for sustainability and education projects. In two decades, volunteers dedicated 44,000 service hours to our brothers and sisters who need our help and love.
— St. Matthew Church
Want to help?
To make a donation in support of the Monsignor McSweeney World Hunger Drive, go to www.rebrand.ly/WorldHungerDrive.