Hundreds Flock to Second Harvest's First Ever Pack-A-Thon

Last weekend marked the first ever pack-a-thon hosted by Second Harvest Heartland in Golden Valley. From 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., 265 volunteers and Golden Valley residents helped pack food for the hungry at the organization's new volunteer hub.

“We’ve never had one big day where everyone could come together and make a huge impact,” Lindsi Gish, communications director for Second Harvest Heartland, said. “Volunteerism is a huge part of what we do.”

Last year alone, volunteers donated 61,000 hours of time to Second Harvest Heartland. And since September is Hunger Action Month, Second Harvest Heartland wanted to celebrate.

“We wanted to create a day where people could both fundraise on our behalf and come together as a community,” Gish said. “It was a fun event for families and corporate groups.”

In total, volunteers packed 29,825 pounds of food during the day-long event. In addition to volunteer hours, $33,260 was raised through registrations, donations and matching funds from Second Harvest Heartland’s corporate sponsor, Mosaic.

Throughout the day, volunteers worked to re-package huge loads of pasta and rice into manageable portions for families. Volunteers also sorted food and labeled cans. Among the residents, a few local celebrities joined the fun, including Snoopy, Vikings cheerleaders, FOX 9’s M.A. Rosco, WCCO anchor Mike Binkley and Nordy from the Minnesota Wild.