Cross Catholic Outreach ministry partners rely on shipments of Vitafood to feed hundreds of thousands of hungry children and families in poverty-stricken areas around the world. Vitafood is a prepackaged, fortified grain and protein meal that is easy to store, ship and cook. Thanks to thousands of Cross Catholic Outreach volunteers across the nation, we are able to package millions of meals every year and ship them to those who are hungry and malnourished.
The Knights of Columbus are a fantastic partner in this volunteer effort. On Jan. 27, 2024, the Knights reached a new milestone by packing their one-millionth meal! That morning, Knights in West Virginia hosted a food-packing event attended by 240 volunteers, who packed the final 50,000 meals needed to reach this goal. The excitement of the event was contagious, and it launched the momentum to pack another million meals!
We are deeply grateful to every Knights’ group that hosted a food-packing event and made this achievement possible. In the years it has taken to reach this goal, a life-giving partnership has emerged. Time and again, we have seen Knights nationwide put their faith in action on behalf of the poor, and the impact of their compassion and generosity has been amazing to experience.
One Knight special to our hearts — Terry Waters, who recently retired as Cross Catholic Outreach manager of special initiatives — had this to say: “I have traveled the country engaging with and supporting brother Knights at food-packing events, Box of Joy® packings, state conventions and leadership meetings, chapter meetings and at our spiritual retreats. In every situation, I have found Knights at all levels of the Order to be extremely welcoming and eager to learn more about opportunities to put their faith in action by partnering with our organization.”
We look forward to continuing a fruitful partnership with the Knights in this lifesaving work. We now have our eyes set on reaching another million-meal benchmark!
Box of Joy is a ministry of Cross Catholic Outreach.
Donations from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred through June 30, 2027, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.
