Students Participate In Feed My Starving Children Mobile Meal Pack
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Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
WINONA LAKE – Students and the community are volunteering this week for the second annual Feed My Starving Children Mobile Meal Pack at Gordon Recreation Center in Winona Lake. Students from Warsaw Community Schools, Tippecanoe Valley High School, Grace College and other area schools this year are assisting with the meal packs through Saturday. Feed My Starving Children is a Christian non-profit hunger relief organization based in Minneapolis, Minn. Volunteers packed scientifically formulated meals specifically designed for malnourished children. Meals included vitamin powder, dehydrated vegetables, soy and rice. Stations were set up where volunteers could label, scoop, bag, weigh, seal and box the Mobile Meal Packs. Volunteers have packed over 1 billion meals since its inception 24 years ago and will reach 2 billion meals in 2016, according to a FMSC release. Scott Sterk, event co-chair and Lincoln Elementary sixth-grade teacher, said last year more than 5,000 community volunteers, including 2,000 WCS students, participated and raised over $220,000 and packed 1,003,104 meals. “Last year, the Mobile Meal Packs went to Haiti, Uganda and Honduras and we will find out in a week where the food will go,” Sterk said. Sterk said he expects there to be 6,000 volunteers by Saturday who have assisted in efforts to get the Mobile Packs ready. “Living in this community, we are so blessed with so many things, and I hope the school children who come understand how good we have it and that no one is too young or old to make a difference in someone’s life,” Sterk said. There were corporate sponsors, fundraisers at schools and churches who helped provide funds for the purchase of the food. It will be shipped this weekend to Aurora, Ill., to a warehouse and then be shipped to other countries. Fifth- and sixth-grade students from Lincoln, Leesburg and Claypool Elementary schools and Gateway Education Center students packed and boxed the food items Thursday morning. Lisa Paxton, TVHS FFA advisor, assisted students from the high school with the process of getting the food ready. “Our students used canning jars and collected money for the food and were able to donate $1,400, and this is a way for the students to pay it foward,” Paxton said. Rolanda Reichard, a TVHS freshman, said she was glad to help. “It’s nice to know kids who don’t have food will have it now,” she said. Casey Bergen, FMSC volunteer, assisted with registration and bringing ingredients to volunteers. “This opportunity will open volunteers’ eyes, and it is a wonderful thing to teach others who are starving,” Bergen said. Brittany Curto, Leesburg teacher, said she was glad her students had the opportunity to volunteer. “One of our qualities of our mission statement is to enrich the lives of others and so we feel it is really important to show these kids how they can impact others’ lives,” Curto said. Elizabeth Forschner, Leesburg sixth-grader, said she was happy to help. “I really enjoy helping other kids who are starving. I have enough food and want to help others,” she said. Jennifer Gunder, Claypool teacher, said she and her students are blessed to be a part of the volunteer efforts. “We are blessed beyond measure, and I think this shows our students there are people out their who need help and we can be difference makers in the lives of other students,” Gunder said. Noah Gaither, Lincoln student, said it makes him feel great to help others. Lindsey Brander, Gateway teacher, said the students at her school struggle with emotional disabilities. “I think it’s very important for their growth to give back,” Brander said. Timothy Warner-Guile, Gateway eighth-grader, said he was excited to help. “I like this idea and it’s fun and I’m happy to do my part,” he said.
