Students at Cox High School in Virginia Beach spent time on Friday packing thousands of lunches for delivery to the Union Mission.
“It’s amazing how we can have so many people from Cox High School come after school on a Friday to make as many bagged lunches for those who are less fortunate,” Junior Organizer Gresham Wall told a local ABC affiliate. “I just find it amazing that a school is so close like that.”
Food was donated by local businesses and organizations, supplemented by both students and school faculty. The goal for the event was speed: 1,700 lunches in 30 minutes. The students far surpassed their ambitions, however. By the time the half hour ended, nearly 2,100 were ready to be delivered to those in need.
The meals reportedly contained a turkey sandwich with a bag of chips, as well as a healthy snack, and a motivational handwritten note. “The notes are just like a motivational saying, just something positive that goes into it for those people who don’t have everything that can just read it while eating their sandwich, and they can feel motivated and inspired,” said Wall.
Once the task was completed, students and their parents helped deliver the carloads of food. “We’re packing up our cars – we have students cars and our parents’ cars – we’re gonna pack it up and take it to Union Mission,” said student organizer Savannah Gibson.
And while a bagged turkey sandwich might not seem like much to those who have not suffered from poverty’s gnawing hunger, that 30 minutes of goodwill may be the best gift that many at the Union Mission will receive this holiday season.