Financial donations are needed to purchase supplies for our annual Rice Meal Packing event at the 2026 Michigan Annual Conference. Give now to help end hunger worldwide.
JAMES DEATON
Content Editor
Are you attending the 2026 Michigan Annual Conference? If so, Rice Meal Packing, hosted by long-time ministry partner Midwest Mission, will return for a fourth year on Friday, May 29. The intergenerational, sensory-friendly activity will run from 9 am to noon, and 250 volunteers are needed for assembly. There’s a job for everyone, and sitting is fine, whether measuring cups of rice or sealing bags.
You’ll have a chance to sign up on your Annual Conference registration form or use this separate registration form. Groups of people, especially from nearby churches, can also register to provide a whole team of workers. Please email Beth Titus at [email protected] to register a group.
Another way to participate, even if you won’t be there in person, is to donate funds for meal supplies. Midwest Mission is providing all the necessary supplies for the event, including ingredients, equipment, gloves, and hairnets — all they need are generous hearts to make it happen.
The deadline to donate dollars for meal packing supplies is May 21. Why not organize a fundraiser at your local church, receive a special offering, or give yourself? Donate when you register for Annual Conference or use this separate link to donate now. Your $2 — or more, as you’re able to give — will multiply quickly since each $2 pack contains enough ingredients for six meals.
Donate now to purchase supplies for the Rice Meal Packing event.
Last year, we raised $13,000, which provided 43,333 meals. To date, we haven’t raised half of that amount ($5,423, 43%), so we’d love to have enough supplies to keep our volunteers busy for the full three hours. This is a simple, tangible way to show others who we are as Michigan United Methodists and how we love boldly!
Midwest Mission has created a shelf-stable meal that is adaptable and easy to ship in bulk. Each meal pack contains a vitamin-filled seasoning packet, dried vegetables, rice, and soy. The only other ingredient you need is water. The meals are complete and well-balanced, but you can add vegetables, meat, or other ingredients if available.
These meals are shipped worldwide. Recent meals were shipped to war-torn Ukraine, and this year’s will go to a similar location in need.
Midwest Mission shared the story of Grace, renamed for privacy, who is one of the thousands who have received these meals:
“She and her family will have a nutritious meal to help provide sustenance in their daily lives. It means that Grace will be able to lean into her education and concentrate on learning because her tummy will be full. Her mother will rest easier knowing that she was able to properly feed her children for the day. Grace’s father will be able to put in a full day’s work because he has the necessary nutrients to fuel his body for the manual labor ahead of him. Her baby brother will sleep well, because he is filled with a meal that, without your help, may not have been received.”
Midwest Mission has been offering rice meal packs since 2018. Conferences and local churches raise funds and provide space, tables, and volunteers, while Midwest Mission supplies the meal pack components and provides guidance on assembling them. Midwest Mission then takes the packs back to its facility in Pawnee, Illinois, for shipment all over the world.
Midwest Mission can also track shipments of relief supplies, such as the rice meal packs. This year, the Michigan Conference will be notified at some point after the May 29 event, where these rice meal packs are headed.
Last Updated on April 27, 2026