Originally appeared in Thisweek Newspapers on 9/9/05

by Erin Johnson

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, people across the country are asking how they can help. Two Eagan organizations are giving people a chance to get involved in relief efforts, whether through donations or volunteer work.

Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), a nonprofit, non-denominational Christian organization with a facility in Eagan, is seeking volunteers to help package nutritious meals for those in need. FMSC sends millions of meals each year to starving children in countries like Haiti, Bolivia, Cambodia and Liberia.

But the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina prompted the organization to reach out a little closer to home. FMSC has already sent 142,560 meals to New Orleans, one of the areas hardest hit by the storm. Local volunteers packaged the meals, which were sent to feeding stations being established on the Gulf Coast by Operation Blessing, a partner of FMSC, and distributed by a coalition of relief workers.

“The meals were originally intended for orphanages in Central America as part of ongoing feeding programs there, but when we saw the devastation from Katrina we needed to react quickly,” said Mark Crea, Feed My Starving Children’s executive director. The shipment was sent from the Eagan facility Monday, Aug. 29 and diverted to New Orleans by Friday, he said.

“This first week of emergency stabilization is a crucial time for the people struggling to find food and water,” he said. “Our highly nutritious food is portable and easily prepared. It’ll give hungry people what they need right now, and give other relief organizations time to set up relief efforts.”

Since 1994, FMSC has packaged 35 million nutritious meals for distribution worldwide. The organization relies on volunteers to put together and package the meals, which are sent to on-site relief workers for distribution. Each meal costs only 17 cents, and 94 percent of donations go directly to the food program.

Because meals were diverted to the victims of the hurricane, a replacement shipment from the organization’s emergency supply will be sent to Central American soon, Crea said. Volunteers are needed to pack meals to replenish the emergency supply.

For more information or to volunteer or donate, visit www.fmsc.org.

Eagan-based Cheerful Givers is also reaching out to hurricane victims. Toys may not be the first thing people think of in terms of relief efforts, but they can mean the world to children who have lost everything, said Cheerful Givers founder Karen Kitchel.

“There are so many people living in shelters, living in churches,” she said. “In many cases, they lost everything they owned. They don’t have anything to call their own.”

Cheerful Givers is a nonprofit organization that provides toy-filled birthday gift bags for children living in poverty in Minnesota. They are now looking to provide “care bags” for displaced children in Louisiana ages 3 to 12 years old.

The bags will include toys, a stuffed animal, a book, puzzles and games, she said. The bags will not only provide children with entertainment, but more importantly, they can provide security as children move between temporary shelters.

“They need that message that they are important,” Kitchel said. “Hopefully that will help them get through the really difficult times they’re going to face.”

To donate or volunteer, visit www.cheerfulgivers.org.

The city of Eagan is also looking at ways to contribute to the relief effort. The City Council is exploring options such as deploying police officers and organizing a volunteer committee to help aid specific communities.

Meanwhile, the city has posted links to state and federal agency communications about relief activities on its Web site, www.cityofeagan.com.

No comments yet.

Leave a comment