A DECA campaign raising food, funds, and volunteers for the Messiah Lutheran Church Food Pantry — one festival, one box, one shelf at a time.
Presented by Simone D. • Kenya B.G • Logan C.
“We at Messiah Lutheran Church Food Pantry believe we are to be God’s hands and feet in loving service to those around us. We are here with open hands to provide food for families, individuals and anyone in our community who is in need”
Kids decorate banners, cards, and balloons for children at the pantry, then pack a birthday box with cake mix, candles, and frosting.
Join us at Rush Off Main on September 24, 2026 all day for our community Dine to Donate! Just show up, look for our friend in a hotdog costume, and take a selfie!
A movie night at Hogan Farms, screening Coraline with s’mores on a bonfire, a Coraline piñata, halloween ambiance, food trucks, and a costume contest under the fairy lights.
Bringing our community together with international food trucks, face painting, children’s games, cultural dancers, and community voting with a live leaderboard to celebrate unity and support the pantry.
Join our hands-on mission at the Messiah Lutheran Church Food Pantry and community events. Explore our volunteer initiatives, community shifts, and student ambassador projects supporting food security across Hendricks County.
Brownsburg High School student organizations and clubs leading creative outreach, media documentation, supply drives, and community action for the Messiah Lutheran Church Food Pantry.
Using visual arts and creative expression to document pantry distribution days, paint festive face art, design holiday and thank-you cards, and highlight community impact.
Join the National Art Honor Society to paint Halloween and Coraline-inspired face art for guests at our Hogan Farms Pumpkin Patch Movie Night!
Write and decorate Christmas cards for our friends at the Pantry! Make as many as you wish. **4 cards = One Hour
Our regular Saturday Distribution volunteers create change beyond measure. Help us to thank them with a beautiful 'thank you' note! Decorate as you wish! **4 cards = One Hour
Partnering to support pantry families through dedicated mother encouragement letters, community resource guides, and feminine hygiene initiatives.
Mothers have it rough! Create an encouraging letter / card to a Mother at the Food Pantry. An uplifting message means so much. **4 cards = One Hour
Create a poster for a high-need resource for low-income individuals in the Hendricks Country area. Provide them with any information necessary needed to meet their needs into one poster! Examples: childcare assistance, healthcare, domestic-violence support, clothing pantries, homeless shelters. **2 posters = One Hour
Support pantry families with essential period care products and menstrual hygiene supplies.
Student writers and journalists documenting stories of empathy, resilience, and community support at the Messiah Lutheran Church Food Pantry.
Use your interview and writing skills to present the stories of the humans at the pantry. Many guests are going through homelessness, settling into the US, and illness. Present and interview them with empathy so Pack-the-Pantry can share their story. Receive volunteer hours using your talents! Remind to bring necessary interview materials.
Assisting diverse Hendricks County families during grocery selection with bilingual signage, intake translation, and welcoming language support.
Want to test your translation skills in a language you're passionate about or currently learning? Help Pack-the-Pantry to translate our campaign's posters and the M.L Pantry to translate their signs to ultimately eliminate language barriers for our immigrant community! We'll be sharing exactly what we want translated with you once we receive your sign up. **Volunteer hours depend on the length of material.
Championing reusable grocery totes, reducing packaging waste, and supporting fresh produce distribution from community gardens.
Got any reusable plastic bags from your last grocery trip? Feel free to donate them to the Pantry! We're always running out of plastic bags for guests' food.
Using sewing and textile craft skills to make reusable tote bags for pantry shoppers, helping guests carry groceries while reducing single-use plastic.
Ready to use your sewing talents for good and reduce plastic usage? Make tote bags for someone's next grocery trip at the Pantry!
Through Pack-the-Pantry, we aimed to gather $20,000 in funding for Messiah Lutheran this fall, in order to sustain food pantry stocking and operations. With sponsorships, donations, and event profit, we aim to reach our goal in order to provide enough resources for the pantry to be able to not rely on the food pantry coalition it is a part of, and be able to consistent provide higher priced items, like meat, at the pantry every week.
We also aim to increase the respect the guests feel when attending the food pantry. Messiah Lutheran operates with the mindset that everyone deserves to shop with dignity, as to feel as though they are doing their part to provide what they can for their families. With this goal, our goal is to increase the percentage of guests who report feeling more comfortable in the space by renovating the interior of the space and improving operations.
To ensure the pantry is well stocked throughout the year, as well as providing in demand items for the guests, beyond just “necessities”, so that they can feel more human. In this we, our goal is to generate 100+ items for the pantry this fall, specifically hygiene items and specialty items like holiday goods.
To meet the rising need in Hendricks County, and better allocate the resources to those in need, we also set a goal of decreasing the time it takes to travel through the pantry line by at least 2 mins, so that we can better meet the larger population. To do this, we will implement new software, website, and diaper distribution systems to maximize efficiency.
To improve the operations of Messiah Lutheran Food Pantry, and alleviate the current volunteers who are 45+ in age, we aim to increase volunteers ages 21 and below by 75%, to encourage youth participation. In addition, to help combat frequent cancellation and inadequate staffing for the pantry, we aim to increase the overall volunteer pool by 50%.
Generous gifts of supplies, venue partnerships, and community dining events directly aiding the pantry.
Hogan Farms graciously provided our Coraline Movie Night event venue at their pumpkin patch for free, plus a 50% discount on the community bonfire pit, creating a memorable outdoor festival for local families.
Sherwin Williams is graciously providing 10 gallons of paint for the pantry renovation project.
Hosting our community Dine to Donate day, partnering with Pack the Pantry to raise vital support and awareness for our food pantry families.
Dedicated financial contributions providing direct funding for food supplies and pantry facilities.
Generous monetary sponsor investing directly in our local community and the long-term support of Messiah Lutheran Church Food Pantry.
Proud community monetary sponsor helping to fund essential pantry groceries, family food distribution, and community relief efforts.
Empowering Hendricks County families through generous monetary sponsorship backing Pack the Pantry’s community outreach initiatives.
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Interested in sponsoring an event? Ready to partner with our campaign? Have any questions?