Half-million meal event set for Imperial

Monday, July 1, 2013

IMPERIAL, Nebraska -- Southwest Nebraska farmers are already planning and plotting next year's fields even as they prepare to reap this year's harvest, because they understand that hunger never takes a day off.

Understanding that same truth -- even as they measured rice, soy, vitamins and minerals, and dehydrated vegetables into six-serving bags -- organizers of Southwest Nebraska Meals for God's Children were already making plans for this year's 500,000 meal pack, set for July 23-27, at Crossroads Wesleyan Church, 1710 Wesley Dr., Imperial.

This is the third pack for the group, whose inaugural pack in 2011 sent more than 200,000 meals to hungry children around the world. The 2012 pack of 520,992 meals involved 1,500 participants packaging 2,362 cases of MannaPack-Rice.

MannaPacks from the 2011 and 2012 packs went to Haiti, Guatamala and Honduras. More than 70 countries worldwide have received MannaPack meals through the Feed My Starving Children organization. FMSC has partner ministries in each country such as the Love a Child ministry in Haiti, Bread for a Hungry World in Honduras, and the Pan American Development Foundation in Guatemala. The partner agencies help to ensure that the food makes it to those who need it most.

New in 2013 is a matching grant challenge of $30,000. Dick Banks of Imperial, one of the organizers said, "We need the funds, so we're really excited by the matching grant and hope people will take advantage of it, effectively doubling their donation." Organizers must raise $110,000 for the event.

Banks was impressed by the outpouring of support during the 2012 MannaPack, saying, "We have good people backing us up every step of the way." Volunteers came from 51 different communities in Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and Iowa.

"It hearkens back to the work ethic of the folks in rural America," Banks said. "During session 7 last July, more than 61,000 meals were packed in one packing session!"

Banks allows that you don't have to be a Christian to know how to do the right thing, "and feeding hungry children is the right thing to do." Banks also stressed the point that with FMSC, 94 percent of all donations goes directly into feeding the hungry.

"This is a way for people to give back and have a tremendous impact on children," he added.

For more information or to donate or register online go to www.fmsc.org and follow the mobile pack links. There also is a dedicated phone line, (308) 883-0104 for donations or call Dick Banks at (308) 883-0397; James Marlatt at (308) 882-6386; Paul Hickman at (308) 882-5607; or Rhonda Hickman at (308) 414-1406.

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