Feed My Starving Children

My son and I decided to volunteer yesterday, the idea itself is pretty good. However, is pretty unorganized. You have people giving attitude, when all you’re trying to do is help. Would I go again, probably not. I would much rather sponsor a child. Maybe, it was the group of people I was stuck with, Who knows.

A FABULOUS experience! You bust your hump for 2 hours and it is so worth it! Great fun, a fantastic environment, and you could not beat the cause.

We have been trying to get our kids into volunteering (our oldest are 9 and 7) and we had a opportunity to go here with my daughter’s girl scout troop and I am glad we did.
This was great for the whole family, the time really flew by. We were all at the same station and were able to work together. They played music which helped as well.
We also got to watch a video before, which really helped to bring the message home to our kids. We also got to try the meal after the session and I loved it. I was the only one in the group so I ate all of there. I wished they sold it there, they could make some money, maybe the mistake bags or something… just a thought.

I always love to give back when I can. This place allows you to pack food to be sent to different 3^rd world countries such as Ghana, Djibouti, Philippines, etc. The volunteer time is in 2 hour increments. The first 10 minutes is spent familiarizing with the task about to be performed. They can usually accommodate 50 – 100 volunteers at a time. The process of packing food is about 1.5 hours the rest will be cleaning time.
The leaders are fun, helpful, and organized. I will definitely come back and recommend to anyone when they’re feeling generous with their kindness and time.

As a Midwestern pharmacy student, we were required to do some volunteering outside of school hours for our biochem class. The upperclassmen suggested FMSC so I checked it out. It was really easy to make reservations online for big groups and there are multiple locations to go to. My classmate and I went on a Friday night and surprisingly, there were a lot of volunteers there, also.
They had an introductory video to get us hyped up and tell us what the organization is all about. Soon enough, after putting on a hair net, taking off jewelries, and washing my hand, I went to my designated section of putting expiration stickers on the food packages. Everyone was so energetic and I loved that they were blasting music to help the time pass. It was all very casual at the sticker area but the food assembly lines looked more fun to do and required much more teamwork.
At the end, they gave us samples of the food that we were packaging to send to areas of need. It was actually quite delicious and I really enjoyed my volunteering experience at FMSC.
This is great to bring your kids to let them learn about giving back to society and not take things for granted.

«Many hands make work light». One room full of people make tens of thousands of meals for starving children. Grouped together in stations, everyone measures, weighs, or boxes the food. –A job even kids can do. You watch a movie and learn what each job entails and then find a station to join. I’ve worked in meal prep, in the warehouse (you have to be capable of heavy lifting for that job) and I’ve worked stacking labels. –there are jobs for every ability. It’s a well-​oiled machine!
A great way to spend an hour of your day. Do some good for someone else and think of others instead thinking of yourself.

I have heard about this place from other people who have been here before and they had great things to say. I had to do volunteering for school so I decided to go here to get some hours done. I was here for 3 sessions in a day and it was really great. It was easy, fun, and a great thing about this place is that they do a prayer at the end for the food to arrive safely to its destination. It was really wonderful working here and I will be back to do more volunteering.

I went here with Son #4 to pack food. This place is a well oiled machine. You come in, check in and get your hairnet. Then you watch a film and they give a little talk. Next you wash your hands, go into the packing area and they give you directions and set you up.
You are working the whole time you are here. You have to wear a hairnet and usually gloves. It depends on your job, but basically you can’t touch outside objects or they will make you wash your hands again. You put your purse and phone in a locked locker or you can leave it in your car.
Do NOT bring small children here, there is nothing for them to do. We had a little girl in our group who was about 6 and she was having some problems following directions, not being tall enough and generally getting bored. I would say 8 would be the minimum age.
Do NOT think you can just mail it in here. You are working nonstop. You are assigned a job and expected to do it. We had the little girl, so we had to keep stopping because she couldn’t read the scale, wasn’t tall enough, couldn’t level off her measuring cup. I am the mother of 4 boys and I was aggravated! You basically want to do as much as you can during your work time and we had to stop and restart a lot.
This is a great way to give of your time. They are funded through donations, so your money isn’t going to a big machine, it’s going right to the food you are packing!

This is a pretty awesome place to volunteer your time. You know the cause is a worthy one: non-​profit and over 92% of funds raised go directly to food that is shipped to needy communities across the globe.
You can sign up online to work 1.5−2 hour sessions, which flies by. Chat with others and/​or sing/​groove to the songs. (Though my only complaint is that the soundtrack needs to be switched up.)
Be ready to do a repetitive job (as quickly as possible) for much of the time you’re there. Of course, it’s common for volunteers to switch up tasks.
I was a bit intimidated to attend as a single (agnostic) at first, but staff and volunteers are nice. It’s a Christian organization, but don’t let that deter you if you’re not. They definitely aren’t judgy or preachy, and you can defer from praying over the packed boxes; no one will oust you, I promise! :) I personally kind of stand back while all of that goes on.
Volunteers are encouraged to donate money to help cover the cost of food, but donation is not mandatory. If you don’t want to shell out cash or credit card outright, there are plenty of goods and edibles to purchase in their shop that help individuals and communities sustain their livelihood. Cost is $ 2 and up.
Soooo, what are you waiting for?! Don some hairnet swag and pack some food for hungry kids!

Have been here for various organizations and have always been impressed with how well run, organized and efficient they are here. They make it a fun, upbeat, experience. Also great if you need community service hours for scouts or for graduating high school. It is easy to sign up online for a volunteer time slot. It is also nice that they have jobs for all age groups. Everyone from 5 – 90 could find a task that they are comfortable doing. All in all it is a great experience and you leave feeling happy!

Our office went as a group of almost a hundred people to pack food for FMSC yesterday. The experience was very fulfilling.
As you enter, there is a small gift shop to your right, and a meeting room. Prior to packing, they show a short video, and explain how to pack the food. I had no idea what I was getting into, I figured we would be packing boxes, I didn’t realize we were actually packing dried food into packs to seal and send out.
The food we packed yesterday was going to Haiti. The atmosphere was not depressing, rather warm and upbeat. Since everyone in the packing room was a part of my work organization, we had a healthy competition going on which «pod» could pack the most boxes. FMSC had a boombox ready and available with upbeat music to keep us going.
We were able to pack 4932 bags of food (which consist of rice, soy, dried vegetables and chicken powder fortified with vitamins and minerals.) 4932 bags of food is 29,592 meals, which is enough to feed 81 children for one year. That feels pretty good!
The gift shop has t-​shirts, as well as hand-​made jewelry, handbags, aprons, etc. from all parts of the world FMSC helps. I bought a cross-​body bag that was made by a woman in Swaziland, and the proceeds go toward buying additional supplies for the packing facility (food & shipping supplies.)
The only thing I did not «care for» (I can’t say I didn’t like it, it’s just not my cup of tea) is that, as FMSC is a Christian organization, they pray over every palate of food that is shipped out after a pack. I’m just not a religious person. I wanted to do the charity work, but I don’t feel that I was doing «God’s» work, I was doing charity work because I wanted to.
All in all though, a great experience. I know we will be back as an organization to spend a few hours helping others.

Looking to give your loved ones a chance at volunteering and charity during summer break? Check out the The Feed My Starving Children Charity in Aurora, IL; a place that has a production line where volunteers pack, seal, and box 400 gram bags of scientifically formulated soy protein, rice, dehydrated carrots, potatoes and vitamins to starving children in Africa, (this particular day we were told our boxes were going to
Africa, however this not the only destination). In two hours, 94 of volunteers, of which my son and I were a part Wednesday afternoon, created 99 boxes (36 bags per box) that would make 21,384 nutritious meals, or feed 56 children for a year. The cost of the food we bagged was worth $ 4,704. This is a place that selfless people enjoy, and is worthy of anyone’s time who cares for children. People of all ages were working in our room. The program is well thought out and food inspection sanitary. On some walls there are scriptures from the Bible regarding giving and relying on God for help and hope. Our group prayed over the food once we finished cleaning up – but you don’t have to. A small store is inside the building from which food materials are purchased to help make more food bags from its proceeds. My son and I received a sample of the food cooked as it would be in Africa. I didn’t care for it much but that matters not… it saves lives and that is the point. I was glad for the opportunity to taste it as I would have wondered on my way out what it tasted like if they hadn’t offered the sample. I can only say the old adage is still truth: ’tis better to give than to receive.

This is an awesome organization. It’s a pleasure to support their outreach efforts. The Manna Pack has fed hungry children all over the world for 25 years now and it’s been so successful by the Grace of God and the volunteers that have donated time, energy, and money to make things happen.
Volunteering with my family is an amazing experience and it’s especially beneficial for my son, who has such a giving heart.
If you haven’t heard of FMSC, check out their website and considering giving a financial gift an volunteering.

This is a fantastic place to go with a group of people and prepare meals for third world kids that are in need of nutrition. Typically, a group can do about 32 packs of food per person during their hour there. It’s fun because they play music as well as you are in a team environment and they do a good job of explaining where the food is coming (donations), how it’s funded (strictly through donations), and who prepares it (volunteers).
I’ve seen kids as young as 7 or 8 be a part of it and it teaches a great concept about how there are kids everywhere in need of nutrition. It gives kids here an early glimpse of what it means to be fortunate. They do a really good job of operating this location on the limited budget they have.
The ideal volunteer group (imo) is 5 – 10 people and be prepared to stay there for about 2 hours total.

Ahhh… I love you, feed my starving children. Me and my friends come here a lot, because we like to feel good about ourselves everyone in a while. (And you should too!) George R. has pretty much explained how it works, so I’ll just add a few things– They acept donations of any amount, there is a cute little shop in the lobby, and it really is FUN to help. I went and there were people of all ages there. Its a great cause, and the workers are really nice. You need to come! Without vollenteers this place wouldn’t run. SO HURRY UP AND GET THERE! GO!!! RIGHT NOW!!! FOR THE CHILDREN!!!

I went with a group of coworkers on a volunteer project at Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) in Aurora, IL and was really impressed with the operation. The concept is that children and adults hand-​pack meals designed specially for starving children, and FMSC ships the meals to more than 50 countries around the world.
Upon arrival, our group was given an enthusiastic introduction by an FMSC staff person. We then watched a video about FMSC and the work they are doing around the world. After the video, we were given instructions about what we would be doing (packing meals), then moved into a large washing area where we were to put on hairnets (bouffant caps), aprons (optional), and wash our hands.
Next, we moved into a food packing area where workstations were set up. The stations were stainless steel tables arranged in a U-​shape where two teams could work. Each side of the work station had 4 bins of dry food at one end (dried veggies, a vitamin/​mineral mix, soy, and rice), a large stainless steel funnel mounted on a stand, plastic food bags, two scales for weighing the bags, a rack for filled /​unsealed bags, a heat sealer to seal the bags, and another stainless steel table joining both packing sides where the final food bags were stacked and packed into cardboard boxes.
The process of packing the food was very streamlined and attention to cleanliness was stressed. There were laminated cards at each station indicating weights for the food packs and the optimal way of stacking the food packs into the cardboard boxes. Once a box was full, the team yelled a code word which was the cue for someone working in the warehouse area to come and pick up a finished case.
A group of girls (8 – 12 year olds) was also packing food that day. We learned that one girl was celebrating her birthday and had brought her party there to pack food. What a great idea! They seemed to have a lot of fun too.
At the conclusion of our packing time, cleanup instructions were given. We then went into the warehouse to see the pallets of food we had packed, moved back to the washing area to clean up, and then into the video area where we sampled the food we had just packed and listened to closing comments from the FMSC staff.
If you’re ever looking for a great non-​profit organization where you can spend a few hours volunteering for a great cause, check out FMSC.