St. Paul’s Episocopal Church in Picayune is accepting volunteers for a food packaging event the church is hosting on Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The event is sponsored by Stop Hunger Now, an international hunger relief organization founded in 1998 with a mission to end world hunger by supplying food and aid to those who need it most. Stop Hunger Now packages meals that combine dehydrated vegetables, soy, rice and a flavored formula containing 23 vitamins and minerals that was developed by the Heinz Micronutrient Campaign. These meals are good for two years and cost 29 cents each.

This is the second year that St. Paul’s has hosted the event. A Stop Hunger Now facility in Jackson will send all the necessary materials on a truck, and local volunteers will attempt to meet their goal of packaging 10,000 meals during the two-hour event.

In addition to the meals that Stop Hunger Now sends to orphanages and childhood development programs, the organization also saves 10 percent of its annual meals that are used to respond to crisis situations and natural disasters. They have provided assistance to Haiti and Japan, as well as multiple countries in Africa whose citizens suffered from ongoing conflict.

Volunteers are encouraged to participate, as there are jobs available for people of all ages. The event will take place at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church located at 1421 Goodyear Blvd. in Picayune. Call the church at 601-798-2802 for more information on the packaging event. For more information on Stop Hunger Now, visit their website at stophungernow.org.