Feed my starving children!

[Before you begin to read, let me forewarn you, that this will be a lengthy post. But please do not go away without reading it in full. Thank you.]

Last evening was one evening I spent in the most useful and productive manner. I went to Feed my Starving Children. The notice for this came in a mail from Winkie's school. It looked like a wonderful service opportunity to share with my son, and I signed both of us up for it. Let me tell you how it panned out, in some detail.

" This is the true joy in life - being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. ~George Bernard Shaw
"

All I knew before going was that it involved packing food to send to hungry children across the world. I had no other clue about the organisation, the statistics, its operations etc. Winkie was excited with something different happening and I was looking forward to volunteering. As soon as we walked in, we signed up on a sheet, and then put on our hair nets (for hygiene purposes) and entered the presentation room, where many chairs were lined up. The room was almost full, and we took our seats. Pretty soon, Winkie spotted one of his dearest friends from school, and this time it was a girl and I was pleasantly surprised. The two of them were super excited to see each other and I got friendly with her mother too. And then the presentation began.

It started with a video. I will not go to any length to describe it...you can watch it right here...

It was a good thing Winkie was sitting in my lap, for the tears wouldn't stop. The pain of watching those images exploded in my chest and I couldn't stand how much people had to suffer. The video served its purpose. In those few minutes, the disconnect with the outside world was bridged and I am sure each one of the 88 of us in that room would have been filled with a sense of meaning as to why we were there. I knew I couldn't wait to get started.

" Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light. ~Norman B. Rice
"

We made our way to the washrooms next to have a thorough cleaning of our hands and then it was time to go into the packing room. At first, they asked for volunteers to label the packets, and me and Winkie went for that along with the his friend and her mom. This part was simple, as we had to simply stick on the food labels to each packet, that would then be filled up with the food. After about 1/2 an hour of doing this, we walked into the packing room to tap someone else to take our place, so we could have a go at the packing too. Someone switched places and we got to work. Each packet of food contains specific grams of chicken flavoured powder, dried veggies, dried soy, and rice. They all go into the packet, one after the other in that order. Each packet has the capacity to feed 6 starving children for one meal, or 6 meals for one child. One might wonder why other kinds of food are not being sent. We were told the reason for this. It turns out that a malnourished body cannot process the nutrients from many other kinds of food, and this worsens its condition. So, a panel of food scientists in Minnesota came up with this optimal mix of ingredients that could start the healing process in a child's body. You have seen in the video above, and what a visual difference it has made to baby Moses and many kids like him.

Here's a video now on what this packing process looks like...

So for the next hour and a half, this is what we did. Akhil spooned the chicken powder, his friend did the soy and veggies, I did the rice, while another boy held the bag for us, and the mom sealed the bags and put them into a box. The process was smooth and flowed effortlessly and without confusion from one task to the next, and the beauty of it was that we could see the finished work, sitting neatly in brown box after brown box, growing in a big stack in the middle of the warehouse, where it was being deposited.



When the clock struck 8 PM, we were asked to stop what we were doing and given step by step instructions on cleaning up. Again, I admired the professionalism that governed this organisation. In 20 minutes, we were all done, and the room was neat and tidy for the next group of packers who would come in the next morning. Right after this, we all trooped back into the warehouse, where all the kids placed a hand on the boxes that were packed, and the organiser led us through a beautiful prayer....thanking God for bringing together this bunch of people, who gave their time and efforts so joyously, asking Him to bless the food that would now make its way overseas, to protect it on its journey, and to bless the people who would partake in it, letting them know that there were many who cared and there was still hope left in the world. It was a beautiful prayer and I was in spiritual heaven during it. The picture above was taken hurriedly from my camera phone, and its not of good clarity, but it will give you an idea of it.


After this, we went back to the washroom to clean up and traipsed back to the presentation room where a little surprise awaited us. On the table were trays and trays of refreshment, spooned out into little cups with wooden spoons. And what do you think we had to eat? It was of the ingredients we had just packed....cooked in hot water, and made into a porridge. I tasted it, and it was quite bland and chewy, but pleasant enough. I thought that was a wonderful touch...where you eat the very food that those people will eat and know what it is like for them.


Thereafter, the organisers shared some statistics with us. That it takes only 17 cents to produce one single meal. That we had packed 41 boxes that night, and it was enough to feed about 25 children for 1 w.h.o.l.e y.e.a.r!!! There was a collective gasp in the room as we assimilated the momentousness of what we had just heard. The familiar prick of tears came to the eyes and many a hand could be seen dabbing away a wet spot. In a few moments, we would give full force to those tears, as we watched the Thank you video. Here it is...

After watching it, and during, I know that each one of us there would have felt the rising resolve within our hearts, that clenched will that promised that we would do more...we could do more and there was no more time to be wasted. I know my life was transformed again that evening, and as always, it could not have come at a better time than now, when the seeds of restlessness are taking fruit and leading me to seek for a new direction to focus me energies on. I knew I had to go back and speak to the organiser and find out when I could come in next, what more I could do, when...


I did speak to her, and she gave me a person to contact and I have sent him an email and I hope to have a response tomorrow which outlines what I have to do to help. Of course I can always help out with money and they need so much of it, because of the rising costs of getting the food to its destination. But my hands were itching to get right down to the actual task of direct toil. Another way to help out is advertising. They do not spend any money on advertising, because they focus all their costs on procuring and distributing the food. So they rely on word of mouth. And that is where I come in, with this post.


From time to time, you readers have told me that I inspire you, that I have given you much to think about, and that it has changed your perspective. Well, if that is indeed true, then it will have happened through this post as well. And reading it, you will be seized by the fervour to DO something, that itch in your hands to get down to some real work. I am not asking for a donation, though money is always a good thing to contribute, as it facilitates so many other things. What I am asking you for... is one little change in your life, that will make a difference. It could be saving up pennies in a jar and donating that collection to your nearest charity whose work you can be assured of. It can be giving up that one takeout meal at Panera bread with the salad and drink on the side, coming to 15 dollars. It could be resolving to be so mindful of the food that you eat, saying a prayer beforehand, asking for a blessing. It could be never throwing out overripe veggies from your fridge, because you couldn't plan it well in time. Or it could be something that requires slightly more of your time...like finding a service opportunity in your neighbourhood. Something that involves you directly aiding someone in pain, distress, hunger, illiteracy, abuse, rehabilitation, trauma, old age. Because there is nothing more powerful for the destruction of the ego, than to elevate yourself to the role of a true lover and a true giver. And it is so humbling and so important to look into the eyes of the person who receives your service. It becomes imperative for the soul to connect directly with the soul that needs the help. These are my feelings, and I write them plainly because it is a resolve to myself as well, to wake up and get moving. When I put this here, it gives you the natural right to ask me at any point in the future, if I have done right by my words....to hold me accountable. So think about it. Research. And then...come back and tell me, what is your one change.


Coming back....it was the most natural evening to be had. As we labelled packets, two moms in a nearby table talked casually about their plans for the summer. Kids talked about their day in school and what they were doing for the weekend. In the packing room, music blared from the radio, giving us a steady tempo for our work. From time to time, groups of families would shout out a chorus of cheer, which had surely been practiced before, and which showed that they were oldtimers at this place. The feeling of community and unity was so strong in the air, that you could have sliced through it with a knife. And that is what I loved so much about it. That something that gave all of us so much of fun and laughter and pleasure, gave so many other people hope and a way out of the gnawing hunger that wracked their bodies and spirits. That it was so easy to give, and took so little on our parts and gave us so much back, right then and there. It was instant gratification at its purest form! And in the process of feeding many hungry bodies for a day, a month, a year...I was also feeding my soul, for this lifetime.