by Trent Thomas
We’ve said goodbye to 2015 and welcomed 2016. Some of us have made resolutions to improve our lives or to make a positive difference in our world.
One great way to accomplish this is through volunteering to pack meals for Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). Created in 1987, this Christian non-profit organization has been working with partners in more than 70 different countries assisting with nutritional needs of millions of starving children.
“Charity Navigator has rated FMSC with their prestigious 4-star rating. We have a very high 92% efficiency rating and a delivery success rate of 99.6%,” said Janine Skinner. Janine is a Development Advisor for FMSC.
When asked about FMSC’s reasoning for focusing on international distribution, Janine responded, “The U.S. has some food insecurity. But understand that there are countries where people are starving to death. We are reaching the countries with the least amount of resources and the greatest needs.”
FMSC relies on volunteers to contribute their time and/or monetary donations to fund their operations. A person interested in helping is encouraged to sign up to attend a food packing event. FMSC will have you or your group visit either one of their ‘MobilePack’ events in the area or travel to their permanent facilities in Mesa, AZ.
Janine added, “Our permanent location in Mesa is open 6 days per week”. Each pack session lasts 2 hours.
If people don’t want to make the trip to Mesa, then FMSC can organize a MobilePack event in which they bring the packing facilities to your location.
“We have churches, colleges, families, and corporations that request FMSC MobilePack events,” Janine said. FMSC simply requests the sponsor provide a large meeting room space in order to house the production lines along with a commitment to pack at least 100,000 meals.
FMSC requests donations in order to 100% fund your pack event. “The ingredients and supplies used, amount to about $50 per person for an entire packing event,” Janine added. Each meal costs approximately 22 cents.
There are three product lines that FMSC produces: rice based packs, potato based packs to assist with diarrheal/cholera problems, and potato based packs to supplement the weaning of younger children.
On January 21-23, 2016, the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene is sponsoring a MobilePack event with the goal of packing over one hundred thousand meals. In 2017, FMSC is planning a very large MobilePack event for the entire city of Tucson with the goal of packing over 1 million meals.
For more information on participating in a pack event then go to www.FMSC.org
