Experiencing the joy of service: Vestavia church leader witnesses results of Rise Against Hunger firsthand

Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church for has been working for several years with Rise Against Hunger, which packs meals to send to impoverished communities around the world, but one of the church’s leaders got to experience the results of their labors firsthand this past August.

Rachael Hayes, the missions coordinator for the church, took a 15-hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, and spent five days there in mid-August. She traveled with a volunteer from Boston and Rise Against Hunger Founder Ray Buchanan.

“It was really great to be able to travel with him,” Hayes said.

After having dinner their first night in order to get to know one another, Hayes and the others visited several early childhood development centers in South Africa, where students eat the meals prepared by the organization each year. They also visited the Rise Against Hunger Africa offices.

One of the childhood development centers they visited was called “A Place of Hope.” Children there have learned how to garden and how to monitor the weather, helping them create food for themselves, Hayes said.

While her family and friends in Alabama continued to go through an unusually long summer, Hayes said the weather in South Africa was more than pleasant, as the country had just ended its winter. Temperatures were in the 60s and 70s with zero humidity, she said.

Hayes said the group also traveled to “Orange Farm,” a township where another childhood center was located.

The people there were expecting them and greeted them with songs, dancing and games, all led by children who had benefited from Hayes and others at Vestavia Hills United Methodist packing thousands of meals for them in the spring. Each center has food packed by Rise Against Hunger delivered every six weeks, Hayes said.

“They were so full of joy and so happy,” Hayes said.

The trip was the first of its kind for Hayes, who said she had a great experience. “I had never been on a trip like this before,” she said. “It was amazing.”

Hayes and the other volunteers also got to see the apartheid museum, as well as visit with other principals of centers. In addition to leading the schools, those principals often also continued to teach, she said.

Hayes said the experience taught her to be grateful for the little things in life, as well as seeing firsthand that “God’s children are everywhere.”

Vestavia Hills United Methodist once again will pack meals for Rise Against Hunger this coming April. The church had the third-highest total in the country for number of meals packed through Rise Against Hunger, with Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook being the No. 1 packer, Hayes said.

Having the food provided to them allows the child development centers to spend the funds they would have spent on food on other resources to help children, Hayes said. Plus, the meals are healthy and nourishing.

After learning much about Africa and the work Rise Against Hunger was doing, Hayes said it was hard coming back to Vestavia, and she hopes she gets to go again soon. She has been thinking about other ways to partner with the organization and help others.