West Concord residents pack meals for Orphan Grain Train

West Concord residents turned up at the West Concord Historical Society on a recent Saturday to pack meals for the Orphan Grain Train organization.
Working in assembly line fashion, they mixed rice, soy, and dehydrated veggies in packages that can be rehydrated to provide nourishing meals to be used in feeding programs throughout the world. The formula used for the meals has been recognized as suitable for international shipping, said Mark Meier, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Stockton who, along with his wife Karla, was overseeing the activity in West Concord. More than 125 individuals joined in the packing process.
The West Concord event was sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Church, West Concord Church of Christ, and Faith Community Church.
Orphan Grain Train is a nonprofit Christian volunteer network that shares personal and material resources with needy people in America and around the world. Volunteers gather donations of clothing, medical supplies, Christian literature, and other aid to meet needs, including the packages of fortified rice meals that were packed locally.
According to the organization’s website, nearly 5.4 million fortified rice meals were shipped to feed hungry and malnourished people worldwide. Since the organization was founded in 1992, nearly 4,000 semi-trailer truckloads of food, clothing, medical supplies, and religious materials have been sent to 69 countries.
Orphan Grain Train is headquartered in Norfolk, Neb. with branch and collection centers located throughout the United States including two in Minnesota. It is a Registered Service Organization of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.