Here’s our latest FMSC meal shipping report. As we begin the summer, we still need volunteers to pack the meals we’ve promised to our partners around the world. Sign up now: fmsc.org/volunteer

Here’s our partner Food for the Poor distributing meals in Guatemala:

Don’t miss these recent stories:

• Learn how a MobilePack event can bring your community together: “How to Host An FMSC MobilePack“
• Don’t miss all seven of our Food at Work videos: “Food at Work” on YouTube
• D.W. Morgan donated generously to FMSC: “D.W. Morgan Moves Business“

There are thousands of causes a corporation can support these days. So, when a company raises money and awareness for Feed My Starving Children not one but four years in a row, it’s a very special partnership indeed.

That’s what FMSC has with D.W. Morgan, a shipping and logistics company based in Pleasanton, Calif. Given the firm does business in 170 countries, perhaps it’s no surprise these folks care so much about children around the world.

In March 2013, for the fourth straight year, D.W. Morgan sponsored “Morgan Delivers for Starving Kids.” The company contributed six MannaPack™ meals ($1.32) for every shipment delivered within its supply chain that month. They also asked for donations from customers and the community, using social media and a dynamic campaign microsite. (Check out www.MorganDelivers.com—and note the graphic comparing U.S. living standards with the world’s poorest nations.)

By the end of March, D.W. Morgan raised more than $11,000 for Feed My Starving Children—enough for 53,000 meals to feed 144 children for a full year! It was the biggest year yet since the annual campaign started in 2010. Altogether, “Morgan Delivers for Starving Kids” has raised nearly 200,000 meals—and the CEO and founder says his company has just begun.

“For the fourth year in a row, our partnership with FMSC allows us to get meals into the hands of the hungriest children around the world,” says David W. Morgan, CEO and founder of D.W. Morgan Company. “Next year, our goal is to deliver even more.”

On behalf of the children we serve, thank you, D.W. Morgan! We’re so grateful for your generosity to the world’s neediest kids. As you move commerce from Point A to Point B, thank you for stopping to notice the need—and for doing something about it.

Every year, thousands of volunteers from Target, UPS, Bank of America, Best Buy, Wells Fargo, and other organizations pack meals at FMSC. Many companies also decide to host their own FMSC MobilePack event. Feed My Starving Children MobilePack events are a great team-building activity and can help your employees give back in a tangible way. Check out this video to learn how organizations around the United States have hosted their very own FMSC MobilePack event.

“How Organizations Host An FMSC MobilePack”

(if video does not load, CLICK HERE.)

If you’re interested in learning more about having a MobilePack event at your business, organization, or church, please visit: fmsc.org/mobilepack

Students at Swan River Montessori in Monticello, Minnesota recently spent a few weeks learning all about money. They earned real dollars and cents for tasks such as coming to school and completing end-of-the-day jobs. After six weeks, the students were asked to vote on a charity to donate 10% of their profits and they chose Feed My Starving Children!

Even though many of the kids have never packed at FMSC before, their classmate, Ella, inspired them when she brought in her hairnet and a brochure after packing with her family.

After donating 10% and saving 10% of their money, the class could use the rest of their money to shop at the school store. Many of the students chose to donate more than 10% to FMSC, eventually raising enough money to provide almost 200 meals to feed other kids around the world.

Thank you to Ms. Sharon’s class. You are each an inspiration!

Here’s the most recent FMSC shipping report. More packing and more meals mean that we can launch initiatives like the MARINEL Project, which is aiming to completely eliminate malnutrition from an entire island in the Philippines. Please check out our brand new video: “Food at Work: The MARINEL Project.”

Here’s a recent picture from one of our biggest partners in Haiti, Love A Child:

Don’t miss these recent stories from the field:

• What if malnourishment could be erased from an island? Our exciting new project: “Food at Work: MARINEL Project“
• Three-year-olds shouldn’t weigh 11 pounds: “FMSC Success Story: Shaimie (Philippines)“
• A mother’s love is a strong bond: “Connecting Mothers Around the World“

A mother’s love is one of the strongest universal bonds. Here at FMSC, we are blessed to learn from the women living in all areas of the world. Some have plenty and some have little, but their inspiring stories of strength remind us that we’re all really working for the same cause: our children.

We see it in Uganda, with Irene who lives in Rakai and creates recycled magazine jewelry to generate an income to support herself and her family. The FMSC MarketPlace works with Irene and many other women in her community, by purchasing their handmade items so they are able to provide for their families.

With her income, Irene started a small poultry business, paid for her children’s school fees, and was able to adopt three orphaned children to bring into her home.

We see it right here within our own walls, as mothers bring their children to pack food for others at FMSC sites and events. Their love and compassion to volunteer with their children inspires us every day.

To show your appreciation to a special woman in your life this Mother’s Day, we are offering Gifts That Grow items through our FMSC MarketPlace along with a Mother’s Day greeting. There are many gifts to choose from, and each one allows us to care for children in need, which every mother knows is the greatest honor of all.

Please visit fmscMarketPlace.org.

What if?

It all started with those two words.

“What if” we could completely eliminate malnutrition and under-nutrition in a given community? Would that create a better foothold for community development to take place? Would drastically improving food security create better conditions for families and caregivers to hold on to those gains?

I posed that question to long-time FMSC distribution partner Jerry Krosnowski of Risen Savior Missions (RSM). RSM has been working in the Philippines and distributing FMSC food for years, so the relationship is strong and tested. That familiarity and trust led FMSC and RSM to take on a project on an island in the Philippines called Marinduque. To have any chance of success, we would need strong local partnerships. All involved had to agree on one essential thing: “eliminate” means zero malnutrition. This would require crossing cultural and denominational lines. Jesus set the example, and we committed to follow.

Marinduque is an island inhabited by 250,000 people and situated 45 minutes by plane, or 2 hours by ferry, south of Manila. Through a series of visits, meetings and prayer, six organizations decided to band together to develop and implement the Marinduque Integrated Nutrition Education and Livelihood project (MARINEL).

The project will last three years and seek to answer that original “What if?” question. The first phase of the program is to get food to the vulnerable groups: pre-school and school-aged children, pregnant and lactating mothers, the elderly and those suffering from tuberculosis. More than 13,790 recipients were identified by the local church and provincial government. FMSC has responded and feeding programs have been expanded from 55 to 164 locations. Now partner organizations can concentrate on activities like education, health care, and economic development. FMSC meals will support those activities as well.

Watch “Food at Work: The MARINEL Project” to see this huge undertaking in action:

(if video does not load, CLICK HERE.)

Concentrated food assistance, purposely synchronized with transformational community development, located in a defined area, for a set period of time is what FMSC is calling Project Based Food Assistance (PBFA). We hope that this pilot program is the foundation for many more PBFA programs in other countries, with other FMSC partners. Demonstrating that when we act in the way Jesus intended His church to act, with unrestrained and collective compassion, we can develop the model that truly answers “What If?”

FMSC’s “Food at Work” videos capture stories from our partners all around the globe feeding the hungry and changing communities. To see our other “Food at Work” videos, please visit our YouTube page.

Our 2013 Illinois Benefit was a huge success! Here are some photos from the evening.

Highlights of the evening included a keynote speech by Dr. Peter Orazem, live auction, Filipino children’s choir (kids who have eaten FMSC meals!), world premiere of a new FMSC video from the Philippines (coming soon), FMSC photo booth, a mini-MobilePack (they packed over 20,000 meals), and big MarketPlace for shopping.

Chicago is at the center of our expansion and future. We rely on you to continue volunteering and donating to feed more kids. Thank you for your loyal and passionate support.

Three-year-old Shaimie used to weight just 11 pounds. As one of eight children in her family, nutritious meals were hard to provide for everyone. Shaimie’s mother, Marlita, worried about her little girl. Shaimie was sick and unable to sit-up, stand, or walk. She couldn’t even speak yet, due to slowed brain development. Something needed to be done to save her life.

Marlita enrolled Shaimie in a program called Malnourished Children Outreach (MCO) through International Care Ministries (ICM), a Christian organization that receives meals from Feed My Starving Children. Getting better in this program in Minadanao meant a four-hour round trip, five days a week for four months for Shaimie and her mom.

Shaimie began to eat FMSC MannaPack™ meals in ICM’s program. Doctors monitored her progress and diagnosed Shaimie with tuberculosis, starting her on a six-month treatment plan. Marlita received lessons in health and livelihood designed specifically for mothers, equipping her with vital skills to care for her family. It’s estimated that 12,000+ family members have been helped in significant ways by ICM’s MCO program in the Philippines.

At the end of four months, Shaimie had greatly improved. She gained weight and could walk on her own. Shaimie even began calling her mom and dad, “mama” and “papa.”

In 2013, we hope to help our partners feed 20% more Filipino children. Please volunteer and donate today to help more kids like Shaimie.

It all starts with food. At FMSC, we believe that nothing else gets done without the stable base of food and nutrition underneath. No food means no education, no health care, no small business training, no well-digging, and no farming initiatives. Meals shipped doesn’t just mean people eat; it means unleashed potential.

Our most recent FMSC shipping report:

Here’s a recent picture of meals making an impact at a TB clinic in Haiti through Living Hope Haiti:

Stories you may have missed:

• Our partner NWHCM does great work in a special-needs orphanage in Haiti: “Food at Work: Miriam Center“
• See the pictures of our big event: “1 Million Meals in 24 Hours in Arizona“
• See why 158 churches loved hosting a MobilePack last year: “How Churches Host An FMSC MobilePack“