The Rotary Club of San Marcos needs 130 volunteers to help pack almost 15,000 food packages, each of which serves six people, for a total of 90,000 meals. The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 18 from 9 a.m. to noon during Global Food Week. First Lutheran Church on Holland Street in San Marcos hosts the event in their gymnasium.
This event is a partnership between Rotary and the international nonprofit Rise Against Hunger (RAH). This is Rotary’s fifth year sponsoring Rise Against Hunger. In prior years meals were delivered to famine-stricken Africa, Haiti and Central America. Rotary is also collecting nonperishable food and cash donations for the Hays County Food Bank and School Fuel.
Larry Hanson, chair of the event for Rotary, said that San Marcos Rotary tries to help the hungry in San Marcos, Hays County and internationally. “The partnership with Rise Against Hunger has been a successful way for a local club to engage in international food relief,” he said.
In past years, volunteers have come from Texas State University student organizations, local church groups, San Marcos Academy, the Boy Scouts, local businesses and interested people from around the area. The food packing takes about two hours if there are sufficient volunteers. Volunteers in the past have ranged from ages 7 to 90. There are seated activities for volunteers who cannot stand for long periods..
Volunteers can register to participate or to donate funds by using the the online link: events.riseagainsthunger. org/rotaryclubsanmarcos2025.
The Rotary Club of San Marcos and RAH are both nonprofit and nonpolitical organizations. The Rotary Club was founded in San Marcos in 1921. Rise Against Hunger began in 1998, founded by United Methodist minister Ray Buchanan to address global hunger. Its core mission is to end hunger by mobilizing volunteers and resources for meal packaging and distribution to feed people where famine or food insecurity are extreme.
