North Okanagan group send more than a million meals to Guatemala for volcano relief

A much needed care package is on its way to Central America. The North Okanagan Valley Gleaners have been preparing dried soup mix for people displaced during the recent volcanic eruption.

Tuesday the society was loading up food and medical supplies for transport to Guatemala.

The Gleaners regularly produces soup mix to be distributed internationally by humanitarian aid organizations.

However, after the EL Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupted in early June the group ramped up production of soup mix, putting out 1.2 million meals, more than double its usual monthly production, in just three weeks.

“It was a huge feat but we had a lot of volunteers come up,” Gleaners board chair Brad Egerton said.

“We reached our goal a few days ago.”

READ MORE: Guatemalans bury dead after volcano eruption leaves 109 dead, 200 missing

The food and supplies are headed to Guatemala with another organization, Seeds to Harvest, that has plenty of experience on the ground in Guatemala.

“It is a country of great need,” Seeds to Harvest missionary Eileen Nogue said.

READ MORE: As death toll soars, Guatemala officials admit volcano alert sent too late

After the natural disaster Nogue said there are thousands of people homeless.

“The very first community we worked in in Guatemala doesn’t exist anymore it is completely covered by lava,” she said.

The supplies donated by the Gleaners are expected to arrive in Guatemala in mid-July.