Feed the Need! returns to help others worldwide
Continuing to prove there is strength in numbers, The Feed the Need!™ Community MobilePack™ is now entering its 13th year of fighting world hunger.
Thousands of volunteers will take part in the 2024 event in support of Feed My Starving Children Friday, March 1, through Sunday, March 3, at Benedictine University’s Dan and Ada Rice Center in Lisle.
“Similar to the permanent FMSC sites in the area (Aurora, Schaumburg, Libertyville) Feed the Need! volunteers, kids and adults of all ages hand-pack nutritious MannaPack® meals specifically designed to assist in reversing and preventing undernutrition,” said MobilePack Chair Matt Hebel. “As an FMSC MobilePack event, we are larger scale and can invite more volunteers and pack more food in a shorter period of time. Our ambitious meal goal is to pack over 800,000 meals in six packing shifts at Feed the Need! 2024. This will provide enough food to feed nearly 2,200 children a lifesaving meal each day for an entire year!”
Volunteers will pack balanced and nutritious meals containing vitamin powder, dehydrated vegetables, soy and rice for children impacted by malnutrition. The food will be distributed by 15 missions and humanitarian organizations to children in 14 countries around the world.
“Feed the Need! has become an annual event that the local community can gather together, and in a short two-hour packing shift, make a lasting impact on those in need,” Hebel said. “It's exciting to see our meal goal and total children fed goal, increase throughout the event after each packing shift. Our community partners have dedicated leaders that encourage participation and bring groups from two to several hundred, together to serve others. It's great to hear stories of how people come to serve and are impacted and fed spiritually themselves through their acts of service.”
More than 50 religious, education, civic, corporate and community organizations will participate, Hebel said. Among the generous sponsors who help make Feed the Need! possible is the Gerald Auto Group.
“The Gerald Auto Group has been a premier sponsor of this event since 2011,” Hebel
said. “Their support and generosity has provided well over half a million meals to Feed the Need!” In addition to financial support, their team consistently has a minimum of 50 volunteers at each of our Feed the Need MobilePack events, showcasing their commitment to the community they serve and encouraging other businesses to participate.
Gerald’s impact on the community extends well beyond Feed the Need! Hebel said. In 2024, Gerald's commitment will fund nearly 70,000 meals.
“We are proud to be part of an event that helps so many people worldwide,” said Donna Lawler of the Gerald Auto Group. “This event means so much to the company and our staff as we strive to make a difference and help others any way we can.”
Packing time slots are still available to the general public. Monetary donations are also accepted. For more information on Feed the Need!, visit http://feedtheneedillinois.org. For more information on the Gerald Auto Group, visit www.geraldcars.com.