St. Armands church lends hand to families and hurricane survivors

By Dana Kampa
| 5:00 a.m. November 18, 2025

Bert Wood, Karl Kaminski, Hudson Nesmith and Jane Conrad were among the 120 volunteers helping pack meals for Kids Against Hunger on Nov. 8 at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church. Part of the meals went to help local families, and part went to support hurricane survivors in Jamaica.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

In the spirit of giving, St. Armands Key Lutheran Church lent a hand to families near and far with a recent food packing event.

Parishioners filled the halls as they worked side-by-side to package meals to help those who need them, in partnership with Kids Against Hunger.

Executive Director Todd Clevenger said part of the meal packages would go to nearby families. But many would also go to Jamaica to support those recovering from the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.

The Category 5 storm hit the country at the end of October, also causing damage on the neighboring islands of Cuba and Haiti.

More than 120 local volunteers lined up at the folding tables packed into the church hall on Nov. 8. Working in assembly lines, they put together nutritionally complete meals that were packaged and ready to ship.

Clevenger said their helping hands would result in 20,000 adult meals or 40,000 kid meals.

"This church always overflows," he said of community members' willingness to help. "We snuck in two extra lines of people helping pack."

This is the third year the church has held such a packing event, coordinated by the SAKLC Community Service Ministry. This was, however, the first time they held it in the fall, and organizers said they were grateful so many people turned out to help.

Gayle Galloway, chair of the Community Service Ministry, thanked the participants for their support.

For more information on how to support Kids Against Hunger, visit KAHFlorida.org. UNICEF and other international organizations are also offering support, though the logistics of navigating the damage remain a challenge.

Volunteer Charles Dempsey passes along a box packed with meals to support families in need as part of a recent event at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church.

About 120 volunteers lent a hand packing meals for Kids Against Hunger through St. Armands Key Lutheran Church.

Jenny Minner brought the whole family to help out with the food packing event at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church on Nov. 8.

Organizers packed as many tables as possible into the hall at St. Armands Key Lutheran Church for a recent food packing event. More than 120 volunteers lent a hand.

Kids Against Hunger Executive Director Todd Clevenger thanks volunteers for their assistance at the food packing event.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.