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Community Corner

Volunteers Invited to Give Time and Treasure During Special Holiday Meal-Packing Sessions

Families and church groups have a meaningful new way to spend Thanksgiving morning, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve this holiday season: Pack meals with Feed My Starving Children and cover the costs with a sacrificial gift of $50 per volunteer.


The six special holiday meal-packing sessions are called “Fully Invested” because volunteers are asked to invest both time and treasure to feed the world’s hungry. Normally, FMSC does not require a donation; but for these sessions each volunteer commits to funding a box of 216 MannaPack™ meals at $50.

 

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Fully Invested sessions will be offered at FMSC sites in Coon Rapids, Chanhassen, and Eagan:

·         Sunday, November 24, 1 to 3 p.m.

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·         Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving Day), 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

·         Sunday, December 15, 1 to 3 p.m.

·         Tuesday, December 24 (Christmas Eve), 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

·         Tuesday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve), 7 to 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight

 

Reserve spots at fmsc.org/FullyInvested. There is room for 140 volunteers in Eagan, 130 in Coon Rapids, and 110 in Chanhassen for each of the six shifts. Groups are encouraged to fundraise in advance and make their $50 donations the day they pack.

 

FMSC is normally closed on Sundays and holidays, and donating is usually voluntary. But Fully Invested sessions are different for good reasons, say leaders of FMSC.

 

“People have been asking for packing opportunities on Sundays and holidays—times we’re normally closed—as a way to live out their faith,” says Mark Crea, Executive Director/CEO of FMSC. “At Fully Invested sessions, people can serve others while most of our culture is absorbed in shopping, eating, or watching sports.”

 

At FMSC meal-packing, adults and children age 5 and older hand-assemble MannaPack™ meals consisting of rice, soy nuggets, dehydrated vegetables, and a flavoring with 20 vitamins and minerals. The fun activity draws families and groups together, while feeding the hungry.

 

About Feed My Starving Children

A Christian non-profit founded in 1987, Feed My Starving Children tackles world hunger by sending volunteer-packed, nutritious MannaPack™ meals to orphanages, schools, clinics and other programs that break the cycle of poverty in developing nations. In the most recent fiscal year, FMSC welcomed 657,000 volunteers to produce 163 million meals shipped to nearly 50 countries. FMSC has maintained the highest four-star rating from Charity Navigator for eight consecutive years and spends 92% of total donations directly on feeding the hungry. Visit fmsc.org.

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