Feed the Funnel event provides 50,000 meals to those in need

QUINCY (WGEM) - Tri-State organizations are teamed up again to provide meals for those in need.

The Oakley-Lindsay Center was filled with volunteers from ADM Quincy, JM Huber and Gardner Denver on Wednesday.

This was the first time the Feed the Funnel event has been organized, since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The goal is to package meals for Tri-State food banks, so they can better serve their communities.

Volunteers gathered to help the communities they live in.

Feed the Funnel is an event that sees employees from ADM Quincy, JM Huber and Gardner Denver all working toward one goal, packaging as many meals as possible for families in need.

Plant manager for JM Huber, Steve McQueen, has participated in the event for three years.

He said it only makes sense to work alongside local workers for a good cause, because that’s JM Huber’s motto.

“You know, Huber’s motto is ‘better together’,” McQueen said. “As a company, we do a lot of community events and support the community in any way we can.”

More than 100 volunteers worked to pack freeze-dried bags of rice and beans, each bag being able to serve a family of six.

McQueen said it wasn’t hard convincing his employees to come out and volunteer, because they know how much the meals can help those in need.

“This is a great way to get employees out, they get to have a little fun, listen to music and do some good for the communities,” McQueen said.

Administrative manager for ADM Quincy’s Crush Facility, Janet Steele, said ADM’s mission is feeding the world, so it only makes sense that they help food banks in the communities where their employees work.

“Our employee base is not just in Quincy, so we want to be able to support our employees, the communities that they live in, to impact their communities as well, not just Quincy’s.”

The day’s collections will be distributed to 10 Tri-State food banks.

Steele said she hopes to see the event continue as it provides food to those who need it, and allows volunteers to follow through on their companies’ initiatives.

“Our three companies are all neighbors to one another and so it’s just a way for all of us to come together,” Steele said. “We all have initiatives to be involved in our communities and it’s a really great way for our volunteers to impact their communities.”

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