Stephen Zenner The Blade szenner@theblade.com Sep 17, 2024 6:59 PM 0 Faculty, staff, and students at Mercy College of Ohio packed meals for local and international communities during the college’s Heritage Week, during which it explores the college’s history and values. “This is something that we're not paid to do, this is something that comes out of our hearts and who we are as a compassionate community,” said Marcus Dawson, the college’s assistant dean for students, who stressed the importance of service as one of Mercy’s core values. About a dozen Mercy College volunteers packed 12,000 meals to be distributed by the SeaGate Food Bank of Northwest Ohio and by the nonprofit SewHope in their efforts against poverty in Guatemala. Raising his hands in a quick and informal blessing, Michael Burwell, executive director for Kids Coalition Against Hunger, consecrated the volunteer’s mission before they began packing. “These are my hands,” he said, with everyone repeating his words and gestures. “And today I will use them to serve.” With a few more words of encouragement, Mr. Burwell energized the groups of meal packers, who took turns spooning parts of the meal portions into funneled bags. The meals consist of soy, a dehydrated vegetable blend, and vitamin seasoning. “And then the final thing is rice, it's where the body gets carbohydrates from,” Mr. Burwell said. “Then that rice is cooked, and the bag expands, it helps the belly feel like it's full, so the rest of the body can do its job.” Six meals were portioned into each bag. “It's actually a meal that was developed about 45 years ago by some food scientists from Archer-Daniels, General Mills and Cargill,” Mr. Burwell said, referring to the mix of ingredients in the bags.
