According to the most conservative United Nations statistics, over 16,000 children under age five die every day from starvation and hunger-related diseases. Many organizations strive to address this dire situation, among them is Feed My Starving Children.
FMSC is a “non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit…. Children and adult (volunteers) hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, then FMSC ships them to nearly 70 countries around the world.”
Last year alone, FMSC produced over 132 million meals, enough to feed 365,000 children one good meal a day for a year! And, while most efficient charities spend 75 percent or more towards their goal FMSC spends 92 percent toward feeding children. Their secret is simple: avoid costly mechanization and make it fun.
Although FMSC has a permanent packing site in Aurora and dozens more throughout the nation, they rely heavily on mobile packing sites hosted by local churches. Last month Good Shepherd Lutheran hosted 2000 volunteers from 10 churches who packed, helped with set up and tear down, registration, greeting, and meals for support staff.
The packing teams ranged in age from Kindergarteners through senior citizens. The chant – “Vitamins, Vegetables, Soy, and Rice!” echoed throughout the gym during the one hour shift. Some teams, especially those composed of teenagers, raced against each other to pack the most boxes. We laughed, we visited, and we worked hard.
My husband remarked that the most compelling statistic was not the number of meals packed, but how many kids were fed for a year. From Friday PM to Sunday PM 453,600 meals were packed, enough to feed 1,242 children for a whole year. It was a fun way to make a difference and be connected to family and community.
For more information on packing or donating, visit www.fmsc.org.
