Volunteers gather in Woodbridge to help feed hungry in Haiti

WOODBRIDGE, VA. — Thanks to 600 local volunteers, more than 100,000 victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti will be receiving a hot, nutritious meal.

The volunteers of The House Inc., a student leadership center in Woodbridge, spent Saturday and Sunday packaging the meals to be sent to the devastated country.

Volunteers, ranging in age from 3 to 85, spent the two days packing the food through an assembly line of measuring ingredients, pouring ingredients into bags, weighing bags, sealing bags and sealing boxes for shipment.

"Every meal that is packed at the House has been scientifically formulated to provide the starving people of Haiti with all the nutrients they needed for a day. The formula includes rice, soy, 20 vitamins and minerals and dehydrated vegetables, needing only boiling water to prepare it," said Helen McCormick, president of The House.

This weekend's second "WipeOut: Fighting World Hunger with the House Inc." was an overwhelming success, she said.

In 2009, The House packaged 113,500 meals for the people of Haiti. With the earthquake since then, The House wanted to top that figure with even more -- as of Sunday afternoon the total was more than 100,000 and climbing.

"It is a critical need, and we want to help," said McCormick.

The cost for "WipeOut" is more than $20,000, with the bulk supplies purchased from an outfit in Minneapolis, "Feed my Starving Children."

Packing sessions are set up at two-hour intervals.

Each session required a commitment of two hours and a minimum gift of $35 per participant.

The students at The House raised $6,000 themselves, either by shoveling snow, cutting back on meals at local restaurants or getting sponsorships from family or friends.

One of those was Brooke Burnett, 12, a student a Saunders Middle School.

She raised her $35 by shoveling snow and getting contributions from her family and friends.

She volunteered for not one, but three, two-hour shifts.

"I like to help people. It makes me feel good that other people can benefit by what I do," she said. "At The House we do the right thing because it's the right thing to do. I've learned a lot by coming here … and volunteering for such projects."

"Mothers in Haiti make cookies out of mud to appease their childrens' hunger," said McCormick. "The recent earthquake there makes dealing with hunger even more desperate for the entire country. More than 100,000 meals is a huge commitment on our part, but we want to do our part to help wipe out hunger."

The House offers afterschool programs for students from fourth through 12th grade throughout the Prince William area, offering homework assistance, leadership training, career exploration, cultural diversity training and CPR certification and first aid training. Arts and sports activities are also available at the site at 1400 Crown Court, Suite 105, in Woodbridge.

While many organizations, churches and businesses contributed money or volunteers to the event, McCormick said, the Prince William Park Authority, SERVPRO and Neiman Marcus Last Call were among the tops, as well as the Worship Center that uses the facililty.

The House will ship the meals to Miami and they will then be sent to a hunger relief organization in Haiti and distributed to various communities, schools, clinics and orphanages

McCormick is very emotional and appreciative of the volunteers.

"What the eyes can't see, the health can't feel," she said. "Saying we care that people are hungry must be demonstrated by providing food for their stomachs. WipeOut gives us the opportunity to satisfy hunger and give Haitian people fresh hope."

Staff writer Bennie Scarton Jr. can be reached at 703-369-6707.