The first of five “MobilePack” sessions was held on Friday, April 25, at the Stegeman Coliseum, where community members joined together to help the Feed My Starving Children organization to donate and package food.
FMSC is a nationwide Christian nonprofit which helps feed starving children all over the world through a simple process where they collect food donations, have volunteers pack the meals in host cities all over the country, including Athens, and send the packages to FMSC food partners abroad.
To be able to volunteer and be a host for “MobilePack” events, the host has to promise the funding for 100,000 MannaPack Meals, which are different food formulas which have been developed by food science and nutrition professionals, volunteers, an approved venue, a forklift and sufficient time between the scheduling and the actual event in order to host.
Tom Spencer, the Athens host for FMSC, has always had a passion for helping with the current hunger issues around the world. He worked with FMSC in the early 1990’s as a volunteer when he lived in Minnesota.
“We kept donating every year, but I knew as I was getting near retirement, I really wanted to do something with hunger,” Spencer said. “I was on their website and noticed that they had these things called ‘MobilePacks’…as soon as I saw that, I said, ‘I’ve got to do that.’”
Third year volunteer and first year planning team member Linda DiPietro, began to volunteer through her church and gained a fond appreciation for giving back.
“Throughout my life, I’ve been the beneficiary of good things because someone was volunteering, and so I want to give back,” DiPietro said.
The remaining five sessions are filled and will in total pack over 185,000 meals, according to Spencer, who plans to bring back the “MobilePack” event together with FMSC next year with even bigger goals.
FMSC volunteer program supervisor Dana Kimmelmann, encourages all who want to help to take the step and join next year.
“Bring your families, bring anyone,” Kimmelmann said. “Everyone needs hope. Everyone needs food as the foundation. Everyone needs these meals, and so anyone can serve, and anyone can change lives literally around the world from right here.”
