Volunteers of all ages participate in the Rise Against Hunger Community Packathon. (Photo courtesy of Trietsch Memorial UMC)
Horizon Texas Conference | Sept. 2, 2025
FLOWER MOUND, Texas — Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church in Flower Mound, Texas, became a hub of radical love and hospitality on July 18–19 as more than 1,100 volunteers from across the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex came together to pack meals for communities in the Philippines. In partnership with Rise Against Hunger, the church hosted a 24-hour meal-packing event that filled an entire shipping container — 285,000 meals, enough to feed a school of children for an entire year.
“Our mission is leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, and our values are radical love, Biblical relevance, and servant ministry,” said Alyssa Robinson, executive director of communications at Trietsch Memorial UMC. “I believe that seeing over 1,100 people come together to serve, setting aside differences in religion, age, race, and identity, was truly seeing Jesus.”
“Once we made the decision to take on such an ambitious event — packing 285,000 meals in 24 hours — failure just wasn’t an option,” said Michael Tuggle, who chaired this year’s Rise Against Hunger Community Packathon. “It took a lot of prayer; a lot of pumping each other up. From the beginning, our eight-person leadership team agreed we would be attached to the effort, not the outcome. The Holy Spirit was at work in this event throughout and we knew if we worked as hard as we could to succeed, God would bless what we were doing.”
The church’s main floor was transformed into a bustling assembly line, with stations for measuring, sealing, boxing and stacking meals. More than 50 Trietsch volunteers worked behind the scenes for months to raise $115,000, recruit teams from businesses, churches, nonprofits and community groups, and prepare the space for the massive operation.
Volunteers came from Denton, Lewisville, Highland Village, Flower Mound, Dallas, Fort Worth, Midlothian, Mansfield and beyond. The event comprised six three-hour shifts and a special overnight student lock-in from midnight to 6 a.m., creating a continuous stream of service and energy.
“I can’t say enough about the team at Rise Against Hunger, led by Marshay Love in Dallas,” said Tuggle. “They really had the logistics for the event dialed in and were extremely helpful in directing all the volunteers to where they needed to go during the actual event. We had 100 to 250 volunteers for each three-hour shift and Rise Against Hunger kept everyone engaged, inspired, and having fun.”
One of the most moving aspects of the event was its intergenerational participation. Children as young as 4 served alongside parents and grandparents, embodying the spirit of service and compassion.
“This Packathon was our third experience volunteering with Rise Against Hunger as a family,” said Kelly Stuart, who volunteered with her family, including her 3-, 5- and 7-year-old children. “It is so sweet to see little hands work together in service. We built memories together, solidified values and made connections with our neighbors and church family. There is no better way to build community than to work together.”
The overnight shift was led by youth, bringing energy to the wee hours and demonstrating their commitment to the power of purpose-driven service.
“For me, the most moving thing, was that we had a young man who lived more than 20 miles from the church who came and volunteered for seven of the eight shifts,” said Tuggle. “He worked noon to midnight on Friday, and was back for 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. He was an inspiration.”
“The energy in the building while we were packing meals was amazing,” said Stuart. “There were work colleagues, dance groups, youth groups, families and people from around the community all serving together. God worked through our community in this event in such magnificent ways.”
Churches from across the Horizon Texas Conference joined in, including a team of 30 volunteers from Oak Lawn UMC, making the event a beautiful example of connectionalism.
“At Oak Lawn, we take seriously the call to love God and neighbor in both word and action. When we heard about the Packathon, we saw it as a natural extension of our mission,” said Rev. Rachel Griffin-Allison, senior pastor at Oak Lawn UMC. “Methodists talk a lot about being ‘connectional,’ but moments like this show what that word really means. It reminds us that we are stronger together, and that by pooling our energy, we can make a bigger impact than any one church could alone. This event also allowed different communities — Oak Lawn with its cross-section of housed and unhoused, immigrant and LGBTQ members, and Trietsch with its own gifts and culture — to meet, interact, and see one another more fully. That exchange itself felt like a witness to the broader faith community: the Body of Christ in all its diversity working side by side.”
The team at Trietsch hopes to see that connection deepen within their own region as well.
“Our hope for next year is to include an element that supports local hunger,” said Robinson. “Our 285,000 meals went to the Philippines, which is so needed, but we also have hunger right here. We’d like to work with local food banks and incorporate a food drive. If every volunteer showed up with a canned good, we could make a huge difference to the hungry people in our community!”
The event was more than a service project — it was a glimpse of the kingdom of God in action. Through shared purpose, radical hospitality and joyful labor, Trietsch Memorial UMC and the DFW community showed what is possible when the church unites in God’s name to care for others.