Coconut Creek, FL – Food For The Poor (FFTP) is seeking 500 volunteers to participate in Join The Pack and help provide 100,000 lifesaving MannaPack rice meals for families living in poverty in Honduras. Working with its longstanding partner, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), the charity will host the event on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Advent Lutheran Church at 300 E. Yamato Road in Boca Raton.
“Join The Pack is an ideal opportunity for people to join together in an environment of camaraderie and goodwill as they work shoulder-to-shoulder to help others in need,” FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine said. “It’s a wonderful way to support the countries we serve.”
Over half of the population in Honduras lives in poverty, with more than 48 percent living below the poverty line, facing inadequate food production, high unemployment, and vulnerability to natural disasters. The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of hurricanes Eta and Iota landing in Honduras within two weeks of each other significantly impaired the nation’s economy in 2020, with many still struggling to recover.
Three packing sessions are available: 9 to 11 a.m., noon to 2 p.m., and 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7. Participants must register in advance.
Fundraising is an integral part of Join The Pack. Each volunteer is asked to donate or raise a minimum of $50 to help defray the cost of the meals and shipment to Honduras. Individuals, businesses, churches, families, and community groups can form fundraising teams and compete for prizes, such as FFTP-branded water bottles, umbrellas, and totes.
“It’s a unique opportunity for local businesses to engage in team-building exercises at a minimal cost,” Raine said. “Employees will build stronger bonds, working together for the common good of the people of Honduras.”
Volunteers will fill plastic bags with cups of white rice and soy, scoops of freeze-dried vegetables, and flavoring containing essential vitamins and nutrients. Once packed, the easy-to-transport meals are prepared with boiling water, with each pack providing six generous servings of nutritious food.
Since 2009, FFTP and FMSC, a Christian nonprofit organization based in Coon Rapids, Minn., have partnered to provide more than 839.8 million meals for families in need, including more than 75.5 million sent directly to Honduras.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Current sponsors include ResourceOne and MG&A Wealth. To register as a volunteer or learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please call 888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/jointhepack.
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Photos: Food For The Poor
