Volunteers offer lunches to groups helping with recovery
By Brandon Davis
Published in News on November 5, 2016 10:17 PM
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News-Argus/BRANDON DAVIS
Ty Schmeltzer lifts a box full of bagged sandwiches Wayne Community College students and faculty prepared Saturday for the Christ in Action group and Team Rubicon.
Ty Schmeltzer remembered what it was like to eat a sandwich after helping families without electricity.
Schmeltzer, a 21-year-old lineman for Duke Energy Progress, said a group passed out bagged lunches to him and his coworkers last month as they worked to return power to homes during Hurricane Matthew's aftermath.
But on Saturday at Wayne Community College, Schmeltzer and 25 other volunteers, students and faculty packed 100 bagged lunches to feed the Christ in Action group and Team Rubicon.
The two groups traveled from out of state to assist families without power with shelter, meals and clothes .
"They did the same thing for us when we were out there working," he said. "We ought to do the same thing for them."
"It was 1:30, and we were hungry and ready to eat."
Tara Humphries, the public information officer for the college, said students and faculty planned to take the bagged lunches to Generation Church to feed the two groups at noon.
She said the college's human services program, administration, continuing education services and the Foundation all donated bottled water, bread and sandwich condiments for the lunch preparation.
Mount Olive Pickle Company donated over 100 cans of pickles, she said.
People from each program set up an assembly line to make sandwiches, put items in bags and place the bags in a box.
Lisa Newkirk, coordinator for continuing education services, was placed on pickle duty.
She opened cases of pickles and slipped one can into a bag.
"I want to be a part of what Wayne Community College works towards," she said.
"I love this college and I love our community."
Other students and faculty at the college wrote thank-you letters and stapled them on the bags.
Even children from the college's childcare center signed two banners to hang at Generation Church for the groups as they eat their sandwiches.
Schmeltzer lifted each box full of bags to take to the church.
"I've been volunteering to get the power back on, and I've seen all the mess and all the chaos," he said.
"I decided to come here and pack some lunches."
"A group like this did this for us."