Maryland Knights of Columbus, Cross Catholic Outreach team up to pack 40,000 meals

PERRY HALL – Catholics from across the region came together in northeast Baltimore County April 10 to prepare food for tens of thousands of children and their families in need. More than 100 volunteers jumped into production lines to package 40,000 meals.

The event was under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus and Cross Catholic Outreach, a Catholic organization that seeks to stamp out hunger and other social needs wherever it finds them.

By one count as volunteers signed in, there were 130 participants at Columbus Gardens, off Belair Road.

“Cross Catholic is the one that sponsors everything,” said Paul Messina, a parishioner of Church of the Resurrection in Ellicott City and member of its Knights of Columbus Resurrection Council 11341. “I was worried we weren’t going to get enough volunteers. More people are coming in and signing at the door, so we’re doing great.”

Fellow Knights came from Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Volunteers, who would have been restricted by more prohibitive pandemic guidelines just weeks earlier, seemed to enjoy the time to socialize and talk. The hall was abuzz with conversation.

When it was time to get to work, Cross Catholic Outreach supplied instructions and background on its mission. 

“The joy that you guys provided, the faith that you show, the service that you send, is just amazing,” said Sandi Pino, a senior director for Cross Catholic Outreach. “We’re just overwhelmed by your generosity. You really are showing the love of Jesus – showing the joy of Christ.”

Cross Catholic Outreach, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has given more than $3 billion in aid toward food, medical supplies, teachers’ salaries and water projects in developing countries since its founding in 2001.

“We say it’s transforming communities,” said Terry Waters, state program director for the Maryland Council of the Knights of Columbus, who noted that many recipients of the outreach are malnourished. “They’re not on a sustainable diet – not getting the calories they need to sustain a healthy lifestyle.”

The meals included beans, rice, and macaroni and cheese. While 36,000 of the meals are headed to Guatemala and Haiti, 4,000 remained in Baltimore, as they were donated to St. Veronica in Cherry Hill. 

Gustavo Cruz, of Miami, was part of the Cross Catholic Outreach team. He gave volunteers instructions on how to pack the meals, an eight-step process that requires eight participants per table. At the beginning of the pandemic, only four volunteers per table could pack food boxes. 

“We’re excited to have you join the fight against world hunger,” he said. “We believe God inspired each of you to give your precious time and resources in order to make this event a reality.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 10 a.m. on April 15 to correct a date and the council number of Knights of Columbus Resurrection Council 11341.

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