Carmel and St. Viator to compete for charity

Longtime rivals Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein and St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights will vie for the title of Food Fight Champion 2015 as the schools compete against one another Saturday, July 25 to fight world hunger.

Alumni from each institution, along with their family and friends, will use their friendly rivalry to see which school can pack the most meals over a two-hour period at the Feed My Starving Children facility in Libertyville.

"Service is such a big part of the Carmel Catholic and St. Viator communities. This event allows our alumni to reconnect to their roots, while building some camaraderie with our friendly rivals as one faith-filled community making an impact on world hunger," said Ken Kordick, director of alumni relations at Carmel Catholic.

Feed My Starving Children relies on volunteers to assist with hand-packing meals specially formulated for malnourished children. The meals are sent to partners around the world where they are used to operate orphanages, schools, clinics and feeding programs, all with the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty.

Throughout its nearly three decade history, Feed My Starving Children has reached more than 70 countries.

Both schools are familiar with the mission of Feed My Starving Children. For the past three years, Carmel Catholic's Social Justice Club has had great success sponsoring a volunteer event at Feed My Starving Children, filling more than 140 worker slots each year.

Carmel Catholic currently holds the record for most boxes packed in a 90-minute period at the Libertyville location.

St. Viator also volunteers at Feed My Starving Children regularly as part of its family service days and faculty retreat outings.

"Last year, we partnered with the Ramblers of Loyola Academy, and together we packed over 57,000 meals. This year, we carry on our tradition of fighting world hunger by partnering with yet another Catholic community that is committed to the same fight," said Chris Well, director of alumni relations at St. Viator.