On December 22nd 2009, our team volunteered at the Feed My Starving Children in Coon Rapids. A total of 75 people (team members, mentors, family, and classmates) accompanied the team on their trip. Feed My Starving Children is a nonprofit organization that focuses on packing and distributing healthy, nutritious meals to people across the globe that live in extremely impoverished countries. Volunteers in the organization work to pack meals containing rice, soy, chicken, and dehydrated vegetables, which contain a balanced, nutritional
Here's how it works:
First, the food is placed in a bag in the order of rice, soy, chicken, and then dehydrated vegetables. This single bag can be produced for $1 and can feed 6 children 1 meal. This process is done by pouring food down a funnel and into a bag, which is then weighed and checked for problems. It is then passed to the sealer, who seals the bag, and then gives it to the boxer, who also inspects the bag and places it on a table. When there are 36 bags on the table, the bags are placed into a box, and when the box is filled, the group yells a phrase specific to that group which alerts the volunteers in the warehouse, who come and take the box to prepare it for shipping. When the box is carried away the rapid process is repeated, and the fun begins again.
The FMSC program is based entirely on donations of time and money. 94% of all donations given go to buying and shipping food and the remaining 6% goes to fundraising, which will bring in more donations. Even more importantly is the time given to serving those around the world with little to nothing to eat.
“It’s amazing how much food can be given in the little time you serve.” “It’s important to spend even the smallest portion of your time serving and helping those in need, it’s refreshing to give something back.” “Packaging food doesn’t sound fun, but I had a blast.” Comments such as these were becoming refreshingly repetitive. But it was more than just fun, “it was a good experience, a good team building experience, as well as helping those in need.” “It’s fun and helps the world.” Everyone had a blast but never forgot the reason we were there: to help those in need.
Our group of 75 volunteers packed 9,936 meals, which can feed 27 kids for an entire year. That was in one hour, and volunteer groups come in four times every day. Such an exciting number was only reached through teamwork, and our mission to feed starving children. Thanks are given to CAD Group Leader Andrew Turner for organizing the event, and to all volunteers for giving the most valuable thing they have: time.
