Atlanta, Ga., Aug 1, 2013 / 23:04 pm
Participants at a youth conference in Atlanta helped feed the hungry of Burkina Faso, Africa, by volunteering to package more than 100,000 meals.
"Pope Francis has said that he wants the Church to defend the poor," said Joan Rosenhauer, executive vice president of U.S. Operations for Catholic Relief Services, which partnered with Franciscan University and Steubenville Atlanta to host the event.
"He reminds us that we are part of the universal Church, whose teachings and traditions transcend all boundaries."
Teenagers at the Atlanta Steubenville Youth Conference on the weekend of July 19 – 21 assembled a total of 100,386 nutritious meals to be sent to West Africa.
More than 2,500 young people participated, working in 30-minute shifts and completing the project in just two hours.
Gathered in Atlanta's Gwinnett Convention Center, the volunteers sang and cheered each time they reaching a packing milestone. According to a statement by organizers, the "high-energy atmosphere kept the teens excited."
The meal packaging took place during one of 18 Franciscan University of Steubenville Summer Youth Conferences held each year throughout the U.S. and Canada. The conferences bring together thousands of teenagers for a weekend of talks, music, Mass, Eucharistic adoration and confession.