It’s easy to focus on and celebrate the profound change that God is working in the lives of needy children who daily benefit from Feed the Hunger food. But we also need to remember that God uses the Packathon experience itself to grow and shape the lives of believers here in the U.S. I’d like you to hear from a friend of mine, Dave Winze, about the journey of growth on which God has taken him over the past few years and how Feed the Hunger has played a prominent role.
My family has participated in three packing events and enjoyed it each time. It was a way for our whole family to serve together alongside friends in a fun and energetic environment. While I also enjoyed the event, I was curious how the food was distributed and who it impacted. In the summer of 2013, I had the opportunity to travel to Haiti with my oldest daughter, Beth, church friends, and Feed the Hunger.
During our time in Haiti we had the privilege of distributing and serving food to children, and we developed memorable relationships with the people of Haiti. We had a special treat when, as we were picking up the food from the warehouse, we distributed a box packed during one of the events in which we participated. This solidified the complete process, from packing all the way through distribution to the children we were told the food would impact.
During this trip, our first stop was at an orphanage (not supported by Feed the Hunger) to share love and gifts. I walked through the door and any reservations I had about the trip left immediately when I saw the children. This orphanage was on its last day of food for the foreseeable future, but we were able to give them enough food to last them for months. We even had the opportunity to stay and serve the food to the children. These children were visibly malnourished and were surviving on the love and sacrifice of the house mother. This was a new orphanage populated by victims of the 2010 earthquake.
In 2015, I had the opportunity to return to Haiti with my youngest daughter, Breanna. I was hoping we would visit the same orphanage again, but thought my chances were slim because they were not part of the feeding program. I was pleasantly surprised on the first day when we arrived at the same orphanage and found out that Feed the Hunger began supporting and supplying them about eight months earlier. While the building was the same and the children were two years older, I noticed that the health of the children, and their happiness, had dramatically improved.
I experienced firsthand the before-and-after impact of Feed the Hunger and the benefit from the food packed in the U.S. and distributed around the world. Between the two trips, our church took a break from the packing event. I was convicted and wanted to be obedient in serving these children, so I stepped out to help lead the next Packathon at CBC. I was not letting my inexperience in organizing an event like this get in the way of what God calls us to do: feed the physical hunger and the spiritual hunger in the people who serve and receive these gifts. Thank you Feed the Hunger for being faithful in coming alongside your ministry partners.”
Scott Hahn | Packathon Director