Christ Church Greenwich Emergency Food Effort: 72,000 Meals Packed for Ukrainian Refugees in Poland

Christ Church Greenwich hosted their second Emergency Packathon with 200 volunteers who gathered in the Parish Hall to pack 35,000 meals for Ukrainian refugees on the border of Poland. People drove from around the tri-state area to help with this effort.

This is the second Christ Church Greenwich Packathon. To date, they have raised $27,200, packed 72,000 meals with 425 volunteers.

Co-chairs and parishioners Dan Broderick and Melissa Redmond organized the volunteers, logistics, packing, and food deliveries, training volunteer packers as they arrived. At both CCG Packathons there was a long line of people wanting to help, checking in as they arrived.

Lisa Tebbe is a parishioner whose parents were Ukrainian refugees. She has been an integral part of the Christ Church Ukraine relief efforts. “To know that we’re feeding people and that there are people who really don’t know when their next meal is coming, or from where, we’re going to meet that need.”

“Everyone’s been so aggrieved by the Russian invasion,” said the Rev. Marek Zabriskie. “Someone once said, ‘Look for the angels.’ Well, the angels are here.”

The first CCG Packathon shipment is scheduled to arrive is Poland on Tuesday. The shipping company, who picked up the container at the docks in New Jersey, has shipped the food to Poland for free.

A Packathon is a volunteer group food packing event. During a two-and-a-half-hour shift, teams of volunteers assembled four complete nutritious ingredients: a carbohydrate, dehydrated vegetables, vitamin powder and a bean protein. Volunteers weigh the packages, sealed them and boxed them for distribution. This is a simple, organized, and cost-effective way to feed children and families who have fled their homes.

You can also donate to help fund Ukraine relief by going to christchurchgreenwich.org : https://onrealm.org/ParishChristChu/-/form/give/now

Christ Church is a lively community of faith composed of people with diverse backgrounds, circumstances, and spiritual journeys, bound together by God’s love for all people everywhere and united in the common mission to seek and serve God in all persons. We fulfill this work through the dedicated ministries of over 300 volunteers annually, who serve on more than 40 commissions, committees, guilds and task forces. In addition, the church hosts and supports more than 20 community meetings per week including 12-step programs, choral and music groups, neighborhood groups, and children’s programs. The Christ Church Preschool is a regional leader in early education, and our bookstore, Dogwood Gifts and Books, is a thriving resource of both faith-based and secular books. Their 40-year partnership with Neighbor to Neighbor allows them to serve those in Greenwich who are in need of food.

The Mission of Christ Church Greenwich is to be a vibrant Episcopal community proclaiming God’s love for every human being, no exceptions. Following Jesus’ teachings is their compass for personal growth, community outreach and harmonious living. Its vision is to seek and serve God in all people through inspiration from the Bible, worship, community outreach, music, and art in our sacred historic home.