800 Volunteers Work to Feed Starving Children

Roughly 6,200 children under age five die every day of hunger or malnutrition.

That number is slowly going down, thanks to organizations like United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay, which recruited more than 800 volunteers for a food packing event this week. The three-day food packing event is facilitated by Feed My Starving Children, a non-profit Christian hunger relief organization.

Last year, Feed My Starving Children packed 162 million meals consisting of vitamin-packed flavoring, dried vegetables, soy protein and rice. According to Feed My Starving Children, the number of children dying from starvation has decreased 43 percent from 1992.

In addition to recruiting its church membership, United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay also brought in volunteers from schools, churches and community groups from as far away as Saukville and Farmington.

Among the volunteers was 11-year-old Mason Wendt, who attends Cumberland School in Whitefish Bay. Wendt said this is his second year volunteering in the effort, saying he believes it is important to give back to those less fortunate.

"We are so lucky to be able to have food, so why not help people who don't have food," he said.

Volunteering from Trinity Lutheran Church in Mequon was Lorrie Riemer and her kids.

"This is a job that my daughter can do, and it allows us as Christians to serve together as a family," Riemer said.

The volunteers packed the food bags yesterday, today and will continue packing tomorrow at Portal Industries, a Grafton non-profit organization that serves adults with developmental disabilities. Once the food leaves the assembly line, it is sent to missionaries embedded in Africa, who distribute the food to local residents.

United Methodist Church has been working with Feed My Starving Children for the past eight years, and this is the second year the church has organized its own packing event. Last year, the church recruited 750 volunteers and packed enough food to feed 400 children per day.

"Anyone of any age can participate," said Rev. Susan Patterson-Sumwalt. "It makes a huge difference in a child's life to be involved in the mission."

Packing the food is only part of the effort; the other piece is fundraising. The church bought all of the meals, which cost 22 cents a piece. With a goal of packing 150,000 meals, the church will have to raise $33,000 to break even. The church has already received $30,000 in donations before the packing events, and is collecting donations from volunteers during the three-day packing event.

The two-hour packing events sometimes result in group chants, fun packing competitions and overall high energy. Kathy Schluter, who chaired this year's food packing event, said the event serves as an opportunity to show young people that volunteering can be fun.

"It's all about having a good time, helping others and giving back," Schluter said. "We hope that others can be energized by this and join in the effort."