Jun 5, 2015Wisconsin potato industry works to feed starving children
Making a commitment to alleviate world hunger, the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) and the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary (WPGA) are once again sponsoring a potato-meal packing event to help feed hungry children all over the globe.
Following successful events the past four years, members of the Wisconsin potato industry along with their families and friends, will gather at the Noel Hangar at the Stevens Point Municipal Airport on June 20 to pack 100,000 servings of MannaPack Potato meals, developed by the non-profit Christian charitable organization, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). MannaPack Potato servings are formulated to prevent starvation in children using dehydrated potatoes, vitamins and minerals. Approximately $22,000 was raised to fund the 100,000 meal packs.
“The MannaPacks were created to be easily digested by young malnourished children, said Ali Carter, a member of the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary board of directors and event coordinator. “In particular the Potato-W formula we are packing at the event supplies that very needed nourishment when other forms of food, including the MannaPack Rice formula, are not an option. This is an incredible opportunity to come together as an industry and as a community to impact the lives of these children in a profound way.””
Carter said the ingredients are purchased entirely through the generosity of donors. A total of 320 volunteers will be working two-hour shifts throughout the day.
“Giving the gift of your time is very rewarding,” said Paula Houlihan, vice president of the Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary and event coordinator. “It’s a simple, but powerful process. We offer volunteers the choice of where they want to donate their time, whether it’s filling bags, sealing packs, refilling ingredients or stacking filled boxes for shipping. We also continuously show a video from FMSC about the potato packs and stories about the children who benefit from them. It’s very moving.”
In the last four years, the Wisconsin potato industry has helped pack and distribute over half a million meals to hungry children around the globe.
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