World of Difference #1: Feed My Starving Children Volunteer Opportunity

Looking for a way to teach your child about hunger and take action at the same time?  Look for volunteer opportunities at a Food Bank, mobile food program, or a local program such as Feed My Starving Children.

According to the Food Aid Foundation, poor nutrition causes 45% of deaths in children under five years old.
- 795 million people or one in nine people do not have enough food for a healthy life
- 12.9% of the developing countries population is undernourished
- Asia has the most hungry people
- Sub-Sahara Africa has the highest prevalence (percentage of population); 25% is undernourished.

Sign-up online to reserve a volunteer spot.  You can go as an individual volunteer or organize a group.  Our kids have volunteered multiple times through Scouting and school events.  After you sign-in at a Feed My Starving Children location, the organization shares statistics and stories with all the volunteers.

The organization also talks about the nutrition.  Feed My Starving Children collaborated with Cargill food scientists and General Mills and Pillsbury employees to create the vitamin and mineral fortified rice meal name Manna Pack.  Depending upon your shift, you will make one of three Manna Packs: 1) Manna Pack Rice, 2) Manna Pack Potato-D, or 3) Manna Pack Potato-W.  Manna Pack Potato-D uses fortified potato and soy meal for rehydration, helping those who suffer from diarrhea.

You don't need to travel outside the United States to help the hungry around the world.  Feed My Starving Children ships food to 70 countries and focuses on delivering to the developing countries.

After the introductions, the leader asks for volunteers to help in the warehouse and providing supplies to stations.  Everyone suits up in a hair net and washes hands.  Volunteers split up into "cells" surrounding two funnels.  Two or three people scoop the ingredients.  Two volunteers place bags under funnels.  Two volunteers weigh the package.  A volunteer seals the bag.  When enough packages are filled to fill a box, the entire cell gets to shout out a celebratory cheer, signaling a warehouse volunteer to pick up the box.  The entire process feels simple and seamless.  It's so well organized that the organization allows volunteers as young as five years old.

Volunteers switch positions.  Volunteers can get competitive with other groups on how many boxes they've packed.  Music pumps over the speaker.  A two hour shift ends before you'd guess.  Everyone helps in the clean up which includes putting supplies away and sweeping.  Feed My Starving Children began by Richard Prodfit after his mission trip in Honduras.  The session ends with a prayer over the food.  You don't need to be religious to volunteer.  You don't need to join the prayer session.

After the prayer, the leader reveals the number of boxes the group packed.  Before and after testimonials of how the food has helped a child transition from undernourished and underweight to thriving is shared with before and after photos.  Volunteers can help further by making purchases at their shop.  In 2018, 1.2 million volunteers packed 333 million meals.

Locations:  Aurora, IL, Libertyville, IL, Schaumburg, IL, Chanhassen, MN, Coon Rapids, MN, Eagan, MN, Mesa, AZ, Richardson, TX,