Today, my kids and I spent two hours packing dried food packets to send to hungry children. We were a few of many volunteers. Feed My Starving Children is an organization dedicated to helping hungry and starving children worldwide. Our boxes will be sent to Haiti.
I’ve known that hunger is a problem our world faces. We all hear of the poor starving kids in . . . Parents of generations past used to shame their children into eating everything on the plate because, you know, there are starving children out there who would appreciate what was on their plate. But now, here in the USA, we’re surrounded by such an over abundance of food, that true hunger and starvation seem distant. That’s not to say there are no hungry or starving people here in our country. There are, I’m sure. And they face the same hunger as others, just in a different location.
So when the opportunity came up to volunteer, and in some small way affect the lives of these children, we came on board and signed up for our two hour shift. It was amazing! My kids and I worked alongside other children and adults to pack 179 boxes of food. At 32 packs per box, each pack feeding a child for a day, well that’s a lot of food. And it’s specially formulated for starving children, to sustain them and help them improve nutritionally.
Did you know that about 17,000 people die each day from hunger and starvation? It’s a staggering number. I’ve read many blogs lately dealing with delicious food and recipes that we can try at home to enhance our diet or taste palette. Yet while I sit here writing, or while I’m trying to decide what to make for supper from my well stocked pantry, there are children who don’t have enough to eat. That’s sad, really sad. While it seems like a far away problem that I can do little about, there are groups like Feed My Starving Children who get out there and do something about it. I’m thankful they do and thankful my kids and I could be a small part of that today. My 9-year-old said it best when he said “Mama, we helped some starving children today, didn’t we?”
If there’s a packing location near you, won’t you consider volunteering? Two hours are all it took. And the time flew by. We had fun doing it together. You can too. Take a look at Feed My Starving Children. You’ll be glad you did!
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