Despite all the advances the world has made the past few years, there are still many people and countries that are facing difficulties in 2015. One of those problems is world hunger. According to the United Nations World Food Programme, there are 805 million undernourished people in the world today, meaning one in nine people do not get enough food to be healthy and live active lives.
This weekend, Haddonfield is doing its part to help in the fight against hunger, and there is still time to get involved.
Feed My Starving Children returns to Haddonfield on Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18. Hosted by the First Presbyterian Church, 1,000 volunteers split into five two-hour sessions will come to Haddonfield Middle School gym to hand pack 225,000 meals. This includes packing vitamins, dehydrated veggies, soy and rice into six-serving packages, sealing them, boxing them and preparing them for shipping to one of 70 developing nations.
“I really love this program. I just love seeing the whole community come together and working together for something that is greater than ourselves. We bring our best selves to the moment. In those two hours, I think people are filled with the most generous spirit possible,” said Gerry Rice, one of the organizers of the FMSC event. “And I think it is also humbling because we realize how much we have, how easy it is to share and how great it feels to do something for people who have so much less.”
The First Presbyterian Church of Haddonfield started Haddonfield’s FMSC three years ago, wanting to start a project that involved the whole church. They decided on FMSC, which is a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God’s children in body and spirit.
According to the FMSC website, FMSC is a four-star charity, ranking higher than 99 percent of all charities for trustworthiness and integrity. Ninety-two percent of every dollar is used toward the food; the other 8 percent is used for administrative costs. Also, 99.6 percent of all food is received by the organizations that it is intended for. This means there is a 0.4 percent chance that it hasn’t, either by being lost, spilled or other reasons.
“That means that it is a really, really clean and trustworthy organization, so that makes us really proud to work with them,” Rice said.
First Presbyterian Church’s FMSC has evolved to include not just the church, but many companies, organizations and people from around the area. Those getting involved include eight other churches, synagogues, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Rotary Club, the Lions Club, the Y’s Men, Holman Ford, UPS, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Archer & Greiner and Lenny, Vermaat & Leonard Realtors, just to name a few.
“People want to do this, so it is really great to see them get involved,” Rice said.
Each two-hour session is full of fast, noisy fun. There is a job for everyone 5-years-old and up, both standing, sitting and running around jobs. Rice described it as a festival, and seeing everyone working together is one of her favorite parts.
“It’s loud, fun and fast. We have people carrying boxes and starting contests. It’s a blast; it’s really a fun two hours, and you feel like you did something that really matters,” Rice said. “We are literally saving lives. If the children of these countries don’t get the vitamins and minerals they need, they will not grow. Their brains will not develop like they should.”
If interested in getting involved, register yourself, your family or a group. There are 1,000 spots to fill, which might seem like a lot, but they can fill quickly. Contact Rice at gerviola@mac.com or (856) 254–1718.
If you can’t attend on April 17 and 18, you can still help by supporting FMSC with a financial contribution. Each meal costs $0.22. Each person who packs meals will pack about $50 worth of meals. All ingredients are paid for by the church, with a total bill of $50,000. Checks can be made to First Presbyterian, 20 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield, and please put FMSC in the memo line. Credit cards can be used on the website at www.haddonfieldpres.org/fmsc.
“I hope people will be moved to find other ways to give their time and talent. I want them to get involved and help us grow,” Rice said.
For more information on FMSC, visit www.fmsc.org. For more information on the FMSC in Haddonfield, visit www.haddonfieldpres.org/fmsc.
