WORCESTER – “I want to help. I know it’s a big problem. What can I do?”
Here’s a local opportunity for those looking to help hungry kids around the world.
For the ninth year in a row, St. George Orthodox Cathedral coordinates and hosts its “Feed My Starving Children” MobilePack event at which some 500 volunteers pack 100,000 meals and attempt to raise $30,000.
The event, which takes place on Oct. 6 and 7 at the church, welcomes these volunteers who come together to pack meals for malnourished children in 70 different countries.
Organizers say while the problem is complex, the process for this initiative is simple: people donate funds for the meal ingredients, volunteers hand-pack the meals, the meals are donated to FMSC food partners around the world, kids are fed and lives are saved.
“FMSC decides on [where the food goes]; we don’t,” explains Fr. Milad Selim, who serves as spiritual advisor of the Orthodox Young Professional Conference, and has served as Dean of the Cathedral since 2010. “They do this based on food requests with partners in those countries.”
Adults and children pack what FMSC calls MannaPacks, which are nonperishable food packs specifically designed to reverse and prevent undernutrition.
Several shifts are open at which to join and help pack meals, including Friday from 6-8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 to noon or 1-3 p.m.
Go here for more information on donating or volunteering for the MobilePack event.
Charlene Arsenault can be reached at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org
