The Mennonite Central Committee’s mobile meat canning project has been to Henderson almost since its inception in the 1950s. This year, the canner took place in Henderson the week of November 26 at Bethesda Mennonite Church. This was one of its 33 stops on the route. Because it is an intensive project, the canner requires almost 30 volunteers to be working at all times.  There are volunteer time slots that fit both early birds and night owls since the canner runs from 4:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. each day.  These volunteers file in from different churches in Henderson and collaborate to aid those in need.
While some cans are kept for local use, the majority of the meat is shipped for distribution world-wide in the name of Christ. For the 2012 Henderson stop, volunteers packed over 28,000 pounds of turkey meat which yielded 15,700 cans.  Although many people dedicate their time in various ways to support the canner, there are also costs associated with it. The cost of the Henderson project totaled over $65,000. Funds are still being raised to cover the 2012 costs, and donations are welcome though either Bethesda or the MB Church.
For more information about the MCC Mobile Meat Canner, please visit:Â http://canning.mcc.org/
