PRINCETON, W.Va. -Over the weekend, people gathered at Johnston Chapel Baptist Church with the goal of preparing meals to be sent overseas.
This is through Heaven Sent Ministries, a charitable organization in Mercer County that works to feed communities in need across the world. The president of the organization, Lyle Mullins, shared with WVVA that first-hand experience inspired him to start giving back.
“Started Heaven Sent Ministries back in ‘97. I’d gone on a mission trip to Nicaragua, and just saw the need there, starving children, came back and just felt like, you know, God was saying ‘you can do something’,” said Mullins.
To accomplish this mission, they hold events called “Hunger Challenges,” letting people work together to prepare special non-perishable meal packets that will be taken worldwide. The meals are prepared, sealed, and packed into a reusable bucket before they are shipped to wherever they’re needed.
Mullins explains that the ingredients are specifically chosen to benefit those most in need of nutrition.
“It’s rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and a vitamin blend with 21 essential vitamins, so it’s a very nutritious meal that’s designed to target immune systems of starving children,” explained Mullins.
And those four ingredients go a long way, with each packet able to provide six meals, and each bucket containing 30 packets, or 180 meals. This weekend, Mullins tells us the goal is to pack 500 buckets for South Sudan. That’s 90,000 meals.
Although their effort is feeding the communities that need it, Mullins says the work can be bittersweet.
“It’s very gratifying, you know, we wish we didn’t have to do it because of the condition people are in, however it is very satisfying to be able to do that,” said Mullins.
To learn more about Heaven Sent Ministries, you can find them on their website or Facebook page.
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