So, on with the story telling... This week we returned once again to Feed My Starving Children. If you are not familiar with their work, please check out the previous posts on the blog to get some background. It seems that our new hobby when it comes to volunteering is to take along our friends, and this week was no different. This time, we took along Jen's cousin Paula and her daughter, Allie who is ten years old. After the last time with Vicki and Brian, we realized that FMSC is really accessible for people who have not volunteered before, and is also a great way to get kids in the habit of helping others. We know that Paula and Allie are interested in volunteering, and it seemed a natural thing to bring them along. This is what they looked like before we started:
The shift started as it always does, with a quick talk and a video about what FMSC does, followed by everyone washing their hands and moving to the production area for lessons about what to do and how. We stayed together and grabbed a table to pack. We were short one person to fill all the positions, so we asked for a volunteer and got a very nice older man who got into the groove with us. It takes a little getting used to the process when you first start, but both Allie and Paula took to it very well. In no time at all, we were really cruising. Two tables pack one box together and the other table we were paired with we moving as well. We got to a point where we could make up a whole box worth of bags and get them packed into the case in about 15 minutes. On the night, we packed about 9 boxes, which is a little above average. We had a great time. As much as Jen and I love to do this work, we love it even more with our friends around to goof around with.
The session ended after about an hour of actual packing, and the staff led us through the clean up process. Allie was great through all of this - she is a very responsible young lady, and was very quick to do her part. After clean up, we prayed over the food in an effort to help it get where it was needed (This shipment was going to Haiti). FMSC has a 99.95% success rate of getting their food to the people who need it, in spite of rough weather, civil strife and the other obstacles that stand in their way. They attribute this success rate to praying over the food for three things - that the food gets where it is going, that the people who need the food get is and are nourished by it, and that the people who packed the food continue to be inspired to help those who need it.
After that, there is a sample of the food available for tasting, and there is one more video about FMSC and about how they rely on donations to do all of their work. Then they reveal how the packing went. We had a huge group of workers at this session, and so we did very well.
In one hour, we packed over 17,000 meals which is enough to feed 47 children for an entire year. Those numbers always have a big impact on me, because I know how often they pack food every week, and how many meals are going out. It seems like an impossibly large number, but it still barely addresses the need. I am both filled with wonder that so much is being done and heart sick to know how badly it is needed. It was clear that Allie was moved by the numbers as well.
She told us that she had a good time, and asked when we could do it again, which was, of course, our goal in bringing her. I hope that we have started a habit which will last a long time with her. She and Jen posed for one last picture before we left...
If you would like to learn more about FMSC, go to Feed My Starving Children.
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