More than 60 volunteers assembled 117 meal kits for the Fort Mill Care Center on Aug. 21 at a chapel in Rock Hill. The kits will feed 117 families facing food insecurity.

The volunteers, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came from congregations spanning York, Lancaster, Fort Mill and Chester counties. Many brought canned meat, beans and vegetables that were combined into complete dinner kits on-site. The meal kits are among donations headed to four area charities ahead of the Sept. 11 National Day of Service.

Candice Fairbanks, director of the Fort Mill Care Center, said the donation "… will support 117 families in our community," the Tega Cay Sun reported. Each kit includes canned meat, beans and vegetables for a complete meal.

The meal kits were just one piece of the evening's output. Volunteers cut out nearly 100 "inspirational hearts" for Preemies of the Carolinas and counted and assembled 129 flashcard sets for Classroom Central, which provides free school supplies to high-need schools across six Charlotte-region districts, including Lancaster County. They also prepared 204 frozen cookie balls for Defend the Fatherless, a York County charity that supports foster, adoptive and kinship families caring for children in crisis.

Marcia Ennis, president of the Relief Society in York, Chester and Lancaster counties, organized the effort through the church's international women's organization. Jeanie Moore of Lake Wylie, one of the attendees, called the experience a blessing.

Relief Society leaders plan to deliver all of the assembled items to the four charities in September, timed to the National Day of Service on Sept. 11.

The Fort Mill Care Center, located at 2760 Old Nation Road, notes that September marks the start of its busy season as the number of families it serves rises heading into fall. According to the Care Center's website, donation hours are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon, and Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday hours resume Sept. 11. Donations can also be dropped off at The Giving Porch at 749 Revival Row.

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