Community Invited to Provide 750,000 Meals for Hungry Children

GOLDEN VALLEY, MINN. (Jan. 7, 2016) – Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), a world-renowned Christian non-profit organization, estimates that at least 6,200 children around the world die every day from starvation. Every day. Calvary Lutheran Church, Golden Valley, Minn., invites the community to help turn hunger into hope by providing and packing 750,000 meals through an FMSC MobilePack™ event taking place Sunday, Jan. 24, through Saturday, Jan. 30. Calvary is located at 7520 Golden Valley Road.

Visit calvary.org/hope or call 763-231-2988 to make a donation and/or to register for a volunteer shift (see schedule online).

Working in two-hour shifts, volunteers will measure ingredients, fill bags, seal bags, pack boxes and stack pallets. Volunteers must be at least age 5, and student groups must follow the appropriate student-to-adult ratios (one to one through grade 2, three to one for grades 3-6, four to one for grades 7-9, five to one for grades 10-12).

The meals will be funded entirely through the financial contributions of individuals, groups and organizations. Donations to Hope for the Hungry are being collected online, on site and by mail (Calvary Lutheran Church, 7520 Golden Valley Road, Golden Valley, MN 55427), with the goal of raising $165,000 (22 cents per meal).

“There’s great beauty and power in partnership—when individuals and groups from many backgrounds come together to respond to the world’s needs,” said the Rev. Jeff Krogstad, Calvary’s senior pastor. “We thank FMSC for the opportunity for the whole community to take part in their life-saving work.”

FMSC’s MannaPack™ Rice meals provide the key nutrients a starving child needs to survive and thrive, and are distributed through various community settings: orphanages, schools, clinics, refugee camps and nutrition programs. MobilePack events enable children and adults across the United States to pack FMSC’s life-giving MannaPack meals. Churches, businesses, community groups and schools in more than 35 states have hosted these food-packing events as a way to foster teamwork and unity, while making a real difference in the fight to prevent and reverse malnutrition. FMSC provides guidance and logistics; local donors and volunteers provide funds and labor to pack the meals.

Founded in 1987, FMSC tackles world hunger by sending volunteer-packed, nutritious meals to 70 countries, where they’re used to operate orphanages, schools, clinics and feeding programs to break the cycle of poverty. Last year, FMSC welcomed nearly 900,000 volunteers to pack more than 229 million meals. The Minnesota-based charity spends 92 percent of total donations directly on feeding the hungry and has earned the highest four-star rating from Charity Navigator for 10 consecutive years. For more information about Feed My Starving Children, visit fmsc.org.

The mission of Calvary Lutheran Church is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Established in 1946, Calvary offers six weekly worship services and a wide variety of activities for children, youth and adults. For more information, call 763-545-5659 or visit calvary.org.

###