The Sebago Lake Rotary Club and End Hunger New England teamed up in a big way this past weekend to help end hunger in southern Maine.

More than 60 Rotarians, families and friends from the Sebago Club, along with other Rotary Clubs in District 7780, gathered at the Maine Mall Saturday, Sept. 27, to package more than 31,000 meals that will be distributed to food pantries in each of the participating clubs’ region of Saco Bay, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Wells and Seacoast Portsmouth.

Rotary District Gov. Lawrence Furbish dedicated the day as a Rotary Work Day to help impact food insecurity in across southern Maine and portions of New Hampshire.

Maine has one out of every four children who experience hunger and Maine’s “food insecure” rate is 15.5 percent of all families.

In preparation of the End Hunger food packaging event, Sebago Lake Rotary Club raised $2,500 and was awarded a matching grant from Modern Woodman of Windham. The $5,000 allowed the purchase of ingredients to package 20,000 meals. As the event was going on, a challenge came from a similar event being held in Buffalo, N.Y., to package 31,000 meals. The local volunteers gladly accepted that challenge. At the end of the day, 31,252 meals were packed, which also broke the state of Maine record for a single event.

The Sebago Lake Rotary Club also hosted the Feet for Food Walk on Sunday, Sept. 21, where almost $2,000 was raised, which will be given to the Sebago Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce Community Coin Challenge. Money from that event will be shared by the 13 local food pantries in the Lakes Region where pantries can purchase $4 worth of food with a $1 donation.

Donations are still being accepted to help with this challenge and can be mailed to the Sebago Lake Rotary Club, PO Box 1941, Windham, Maine 04062.