Many of us have just completed reviewing the merits of a number of charities who are particularly adept at making year-end pleas for funds to sustain them throughout the coming year. We’ve done our due diligence and made our contributions. We put our faith in believing those contributions will be well spent. The charities that are dear to my heart are those that offer a broader scope of engagement—I call it Front End Participation to create a Lasting Impact.
At Twin Cities-based Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), volunteers can feel that front end engagement as they help pack rice and soy-protein meals that ultimately get shipped to over sixty countries around the world. Hence, in addition to their money, peoples’ time becomes a valuable contribution as well. Beyond that, it is reassuring to me knowing that both my time and treasure will make for a Lasting Impact.
Imagine a hungry child in Haiti questioning whether to go to school that day. What better way to get him or her to school than to have a nutritious hot meal waiting there? Education provides a passageway out of poverty and new hope for a changed future.
FMSC’s partners in Haiti are attuned to that, and make sure that meals are delivered to the schools, among other places of need.
But these ManaPaks from FMSC are not just plain rice. Also included are soy protein, 20 vitamins and minerals, dehydrated vegetables, and chicken flavoring for a pleasing taste. Hence, FMSC meals are indeed nourishing body-builders. But tied to education, they’re much more than a meal for the day! They can be the pathway to escape poverty.
The results have been astounding. Last fiscal year over 913,000 children across the world were fed each day, totaling over 333 million meals packed by 1.2 million volunteers. Also, more than 90% of donations go directly to the feeding programs, resulting in a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator.
FMSC is a Christian-based organization. My passion for their mission has led me to become a volunteer spokesman for them. I urge you to take a good look at us. We provide great nutrition, at low cost, to the world’s neediest people, for a lasting impact.
Let your treasure and time turn into Love Lived Large. Let that LLL create that Lasting Impact—more than just a meal for the day!