Deuteronomy 15:11 encourages the Israelites (and us) to be openhanded with the poor and needy in our land. Jesus also encouraged His disciples (and us) to feed hungry people. It is an expectation He has for us, a command to care for those in need. Food is the primary way of carrying out this practical expression of God’s love (Matthew 14:16 and 25:35). It is from this Scriptural precedent that we have a special initiative planned over the next couple of months, culminating this summer.
Feed the Hunger has been called upon, but not well positioned, to help with food in America – both on an ongoing basis and following a crisis. We did not have substantial or even sufficient meal packets ready to deploy in the immediate aftermath of recent natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey or the historic flooding in South Carolina. We’ve received requests that we just couldn’t accommodate after these crises, and also from Christian food pantries operating throughout the year.
While our partnerships continue overseas, we want to prevent this domestic food shortage from happening again. Our first step is raising funds to pack a full container of food, both for ongoing U.S. outreach and in preparation for the next emergency situation on American soil. This initial phase translates into funding 276,480 beans and rice meals (the equivalent of a full container) at a total cost of $77,500. These funds need to be raised before summer starts, so that the appropriate supplies can be in position for the second phase of this initiative.
We have already asked some individuals to give to get the ball rolling. I’m pleased to share that, because of their gracious pledges and gifts, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar!
The second phase is a special month-long All-American Packathon that will take place this July. We are inviting EVERYONE to come and pack food with us. We know you may have vacation plans, so we’re making shifts available every day in July. We will need between 55 and 69 teams of 20 people each to make this happen (a minimum of ten people is required to pack food). That’s up to 1,400 people needed, so make plans to take a mission trip to Burlington, North Carolina this summer and help your fellow Americans!
We have well-established partnerships already lined up to distribute our meal packets to Americans in need of a good meal. These nutritious meals can either be cooked on the spot or handed out to be prepared at a later time. Even if no crisis occurs and an emergency deployment isn’t required, food will be still distributed to the hungry in America on an ongoing basis. In other words, once we fill a full container of food, we will continually rotate the meals out to keep our storehouse freshly stocked.
So to summarize:
Phase One: raise $77,500 (or more) for 276,480 nutritious servings of beans and rice by the end of May. This is only 28 cents per serving, which covers the whole process – from ordering to distribution. No gift is too small or too great, as it will be matched dollar for dollar. Every gift is a blessing!
Phase Two: pack the food over the month of July. Pack once, pack twice, pack many times! We can accommodate groups of all sizes, from individuals to families to youth groups, businesses, and churches. You must sign up for a day and time to pack.
We hope you will be able to participate in both phases as God leads. Pray about what you can give. Pray about when you can come and pack. Pray for this food to be utilized for God’s glory in America.
There are different levels of funding that can be utilized as a matching gift:
But any gift can make a difference. Click the button below to make your gift online – Donation Designation: All-American Packathon.
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