Seven hundred ninety-five million people worldwide do not have enough food to sustain themselves. In some countries, that is over 12 percent of the population. The non-for-profit organization Feed My Starving Children hopes to make an impact on the three million children that starve to death each year. Feed My Starving Children is an organization that provides volunteers to directly impact needy communities.
“We are a popular choice to volunteer because we provide an impactful volunteer experience where individuals can know that they have made an impact. The packing process is efficient and uses a volunteer’s time wisely,” said employee Barbra Shimshock.
Feed My Starving Children encourages student volunteers as well as adult volunteers.
“Students should volunteer because it provides them with a bigger world view. Our society encourages people to only be concerned about themselves, and by volunteering, you open up yourselves to needs beyond your world,” Shimshock said.
The volunteers normally follow the same schedule when they volunteer.
“A typical volunteer session starts with an orientation process that includes general information about Feed My Starving Children as well as a video that shares the impact the food has made on a particular child or community. We then provide packing instructions. Volunteers are then invited into the packing room where they scoop ingredients into bags. At the end, there is a closing time where volunteers are told how many meals they packed and how much the ingredients for that packing session cost. We can only pack as many meals as we can fundraise for, so we need to share our need for donations,” Shimshock said.
According to Shimshock, there are many rewarding aspects of being involved in Feed my Starving Children.
“My favorite part is in our mission-feeding God’s starving children hungry in body and spirit. Spirits are being fed as volunteers come in and pack meals,” Shimshock said.