Volunteers filling up slots for food-pack project

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Dawn Cribbs

Time is running out and space is getting scarce for the Red Willow County Ministerial Manna MobilePack next week.

Funding for 200,000 meals is in the bank, the final arrangements for the arrival of the semi load of bulk foodstuffs are in the works and organizers are tying up the myriad loose ends that are part and parcel of an undertaking of this size.

The pack begins Friday, March 23, at 2:30 p.m., at McCook Christian Church, and according to the Feed My Starving Children website, only 42 volunteer positions remain available as of today (March 15).

That doesn't mean that every need has been met. Sign ups are available at participating churches to help with cookies and meals and a prayer walk is set for Tuesday, March 20, at 7 p.m., at McCook Christian Church.

Child care is available on an as-needed basis, by reservation only. Call the church office at 345-1516, let them know how many children need care and for what packing session.

Unique to the McCook pack is the opportunity to see the food delivered to those who need it most, thanks to the presence of the Schmick family in Haiti.

Jason and Andrea Schmick, along with their children, Makayla, 10, and Ethan, 8, are new missionaries to Haiti, working primarily through Christian World Outreach. Jason is hoping to drive to the meal distribution center once the McCook pack arrives and will send photographs back home via email.

Jason writes about the family's first impressions of Haiti in an email received Thursday morning, "Our first impressions of Haiti? Ummm, very chaotic and congested. Beautiful land and beautiful people. Lots of pollution. Lots of hard working people. The Haitian people are very resilient in the face of hard circumstances. At first it seemed dangerous but over time that feeling has gone away. There is a lot of potential in Haiti for good things to happen."

The Schmicks are involved in several ministries, including water treatment and distribution, a local orphanage and leadership development.

Another unique feature for the McCook pack is the simultaneous effort to address hunger within the local community. In addition to packing the 200,000 meals destined for children in Haiti, participants in the mobile pack are also asked to bring food items for the McCook Pantry, restocking local supplies for local need.

Feed My Starving Children is is a non-profit Christian organization committed to feeding God's children hungry in body and spirit. The approach is simple: children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and the meals are shipped to nearly 70 countries around the world.

Rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator, that agency's highest rating, FMSC designates 93 percent of all funds to the feeding programs, with the remaining 7 percent covering administration and fundraising costs.