Nearly 200,000 children in Arkansas -- 1 in 4 -- are hungry, according to the United Methodists of Arkansas.
That's why a few hundred church members gathered Saturday to fill boxes with sweet potatoes, meal kits, health kits and other supplies for people in need.
"We've got 200,000 reasons to be doing this," said the Rev. Martha Taylor, a spokesman for the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church.
About 400 volunteers packed 40,000 pounds of sweet potatoes and 40,000 meals in just a few hours Saturday morning at the annual Ingathering of the United Methodist Church at the Arkansas Rice Depot at W. 65th Street in Little Rock.
The Ingathering takes place the Saturday before Thanksgiving each year to help ensure people who are hungry -- those who lack reliable access to adequate food -- have enough to get through the holiday.
The food packed by the volunteers, which also includes rice, will go to food pantries across Arkansas, while the health kits and other supplies will be distributed worldwide.
The sweet potatoes were provided by the Society of St. Andrew, which gleans fields for leftover crops to give to the hungry. The rest of the food was provided by the 630 United Methodist churches in Arkansas using donated funds.
"It's a great way for United Methodist to show Christ's love by feeding the hungry," said Brandi Johnston, director of development for the Arkansas Rice Depot, which works with the church each year for the Ingathering.
Jessica Durand, a campus minister at Henderson State University, went to the Ingathering with some of her children and students Saturday morning. She has participated in the event for seven years.
"It seemed like a really good turnout," she said.
Taylor estimated more volunteers attended Saturday than in the past several years.
Durand said she goes every year, knowing she and her children and students will have plenty of food on Thanksgiving, but not everyone will.
"So it's a great way to give back," she said.
Two of the students with Durand on Saturday were Henderson State roommates Ryan Himes, a 21-year-old junior, and Grant Tuggle, a 22-year-old senior. They and three others packed 6,000 pounds of sweet potatoes.
"It was fun," said Tuggle, who went to the Ingathering for the first time this year at the encouragement of Himes, who had participated once before.
"It's a good experience, and you get to help people in need," Himes said.
Metro on 11/22/2015