Hundreds of volunteers pack 1 million meals at Enon Tabernacle in Philadelphia for Holy Thursday

Hundreds of volunteers filled Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on Thursday with one goal: to help fight hunger across the Philadelphia region.

The church is aiming to pack 1 million meals on Holy Thursday, bringing together people of all ages to assemble bags of rice and other staples for families in need.

Church leaders say the effort is rooted in faith and service, aligning with the meaning of Holy Week.

"For us, this is about service," Pastor Rev. Dr. Alyn Waller said. "It's work and worship tied together."

For the past 20 years, Enon has partnered with Philabundance, one of the region's largest hunger relief organizations, and has seen firsthand how great the need continues to be.

According to Philabundance, food insecurity remains a major issue in Philadelphia, especially for children.

"One in three kids in the city of Philadelphia are food insecure," Loree Jones Brown, CEO of Philabundance, said. "That means if they're not getting meals and snacks at school, they're not getting them at home."

While packing 1 million meals is an ambitious goal, volunteers say the mission goes far beyond the number.

"With all the food insecurity and all the problems and all the chaos going on in the world, we're just trying to do our part," volunteer Byron McMillan said.

Volunteers are expected to continue packing meals throughout the day, with distribution happening across the Philadelphia region and beyond.

As Enon Tabernacle celebrates 150 years, church leaders say events like this will continue, all focused on serving the community.