Upon arriving at the State Fair Center yesterday, we had to search the crowd to find our team leader. She was easy to find because every team leader was holding a sign with the committee name. When the rest of the 8 person team arrived, we followed the signs to the orientation. Orientation on packing food? That's a little excessive, right? That's what I was thinking.. but I followed the signs, checked my coat in, and picked up my hairnet as directed.
Then we were told to sit in the same row as our team. There were 3 sections in the seating area that was facing a projection screen. Each section had rows of chairs, and each row had 8 chairs. The leader of each team sat on a chair on the left end of the row. The leaders' chairs had the color and number of the packing table we would be at in the packing room (there were balloons on the tables with coordinating color and number). Once the chairs were filled and there were people standing in the overflow area, a representative began to talk on the stage. That's when we learned the magnitude of what we were about to participate in.
Feed My Starving Children is a Christian, non-profit organization based in Minnesota that travels around the country hosting food-packing events. The food is distributed through about 200 partners to 70 countries. The food is "scientifically-created" food called MannaPack Rice. It consists of a vitamin powder, dehydrated vegetables for nutrition and texture, soy flakes for protein, and rice for carbs. There was a lot of thought that went into creating these pouches of food -- it transports easily, it's cost effective, and the dominant ingredient (rice) is recognized in every country. The food was designed with severely malnourished children in mind.
On the projector screen, we watched a short clip of the food being cooked and served to children in the Philippines where a lot of their focus has been. It also showed FMSC partners that set up shop (for 3 years at a time) in villages living in extreme poverty to teach them how to create a self-sustaining community. You can learn more about FMSC and their partners on their website http://www.fmsc.org/.
After the video, we proceeded to the packing room and began our 1.5 hr shift (orientation took about half an hour). Each team was setup as an assembly line. One person would hold an empty MannaPack bag under a funnel. From there, I measured and scooped the vitamin powder and a scoop of dehydrated vegetables into the bag. A teammate scooped a portion of soy flakes, then rice into the bag. Then the bag was moved to a scale to make sure it was the correct weight. Then the bag was moved to the sealing station where one person held the top of the bag in the correct spot and another person used the sealing machine to seal the bag. Once there were 36 sealed bags, it was boxed and ready to go. The warehouse volunteers walked around filling supplies as they became low and wheeled the boxes away.
At the end of the shift, we gathered around the FMSC rep who wanted to share a story and a message. He described his personal experience when he had an opportunity to accompany one of the partners to a country where the food is distributed. Several pouches were poured into a large pot of boiling water while children waited in line for their serving. The food took about 30 minutes to cook, so the children placed a rock or, if they were lucky to have one, a bucket to hold their place in line while they ran around and played. When the food was ready, they went back to their place in line and waited very patiently for their turn. He said the thing that stood out the most was that the kids were the most patient kids he had ever seen and that they were not sad. They were content with what they had. The message he wanted to share was from a woman in the village who said to let "us" (the volunteers) know that they were praying for us.
It's hard to describe the emotion I felt throughout this experience. I was blown away by the volunteers, by the organization and its partners, but mostly by the people who don't have food to eat and are still happy and are praying for us. They gave me a lesson in appreciation and humility that I hope to carry with me forever.
Side note: Our shift packed 479 boxes of food which equates to 283 meals everyday for a year. The FMSC rep said that is about how much they usually pack in an entire event (each event has multiple shifts).
