2 Million Meal Kits Packed by Volunteers Aboard ‘Intrepid’ for 9/11 National Service Day

Thousands of volunteers aboard the USS Intrepid were laughing and smiling as they packed meals on 9/11 Day with one goal in mind: turning a horrific event into a day of doing good.

“Maybe what we could do is keep the spirit of unity that we’re experiencing alive by turning 9/11 forever into a day of doing good,” was the thinking of David Paine, president and co-founder of the nonprofit 9/11 Day.

This year marked the ninth iteration of New York City Meal Pack for 9/11, a large-scale volunteer service project organized by the nonprofit to assemble food packages for the hungry across the United States. Over 2 million meal kits were prepared in NYC during the event.

The 9/11 Day project began after Paine reached out to his friend Jay Winuk, co-founder and vice president of the organization. Winuk lost a brother, Glenn Winuk, on 9/11.

The two-day event hit a resonant note for the many volunteers it draws in.

“It’s great that they have this foundation going on to feed people who are currently struggling,” said Arvin Alerta, one of the many volunteers.

Aretha Thompson, a volunteer who works with the United Nations Federal Credit Union, said, “It is 9/11, so we know that is a tragic day, but we’re going to take this day and turn it around and make it a blessing, giving back to the community, and showing up; this is what we do in New York.”

Volunteer Damian Healy mentioned how his group was able to pack over 13 boxes. Each box feeds over 200 New Yorkers, which means he helped feed 2,600 families.

Volunteers filled up meal-kit bags with various ingredients for making jambalaya, such as lentils, salt, dehydrated vegetables, and uncooked rice, to be donated to City Harvest and the Food Bank for distribution to locals in need.

Nationally over 9 million meal kits were collected and distributed, and there is little surprise that New York was leading the pack in terms of producing the packs.

For Winuk, the day is a way to turn tragedy into goodwill as well. His brother Glenn was a partner in the law firm Holland & Knight, a short distance from the World Trade Center. He also had 20 years as a volunteer firefighter and EMT on the Jericho Fire Department on Long Island. After helping evacuate his law firm to safety, Glenn Winuk figured his EMT experience could be put to use, so he entered the South Tower to help those trying to evacuate.

The South Tower was the second tower hit but became the first to fall, at 9:59am. Glenn Winuk’s partial remains were recovered six months later. He was posthumously awarded the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor.

In a video on the 9/11 Day website, Jay Winuk recalls watching on TV as the second plane hit. “I immediately started thinking about Glenn because his office was so close. . . . And I knew my brother. My brother was going to be running there.”

Jay Winuk said the early days after 9/11 “were brutal,” especially holding out hope that his brother had somehow survived. He said he was touched by the many people who reached out to support his family, and he has channeled that feeling into the organization.

”We all need the support of others,” he said. “We need a helping hand through life’s journey. . . . Having gone through this experience, I have a great appreciation and understanding of people coming together to lift other people up.”

Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of the attack. If you’d like to volunteer for the meal-packing program next year, contact 9/11Day.org.