Volunteers send meals to Haiti - Dining and Cooking

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – It all starts with a recipe: vegetables, beans, seasoning and rice.

Inside each bag, there’s enough food to feed a family of six in Milot, Haiti.

“There’s plenty of carbs, there’s plenty of calories and plenty of nutrition,” said Charles Debuque, volunteer.

For Charles Debuque, the effort is personal. He first visited Haiti in 1993 and has witnessed the poverty firsthand.

“It’s hard to imagine how little they have,” Debuque said. “But the people are so beautiful. They are so happy.”

That joy makes the gift of food even more meaningful.

“They are so grateful for any help and for whatever they get,” Debuque said. “It just makes it so gratifying because you can’t help but want to help them.”

On Saturday, more than 300 volunteers filled the gym at Chaminade College Preparatory School, working side by side to pack 100,000 meals.

The effort began five years ago through the Holy Name Health Promise. The meals will be shipped to Haiti and distributed at a hospital in Milot in partnership with Holy Name.

“It’s just extraordinary that we can help them,” Cathy Davey, President of Holy Name Foundation, said. “It’s truly a miracle. It’s such a blessing to have good people come together.”

So while simple ingredients here, it’s something life-changing there.

To learn more about Holy Name, visit its website.