Heart of the City players and families pack meals for starving children in Haiti
More than 100 volunteers from the nonprofit organization Heart of the City met at Feed My Starving Children last Saturday to help hand-pack meals for malnourished children. Those meals will later be shipped to Food for the Poor for distribution in Haiti.
The first shift of HOTC volunteers arrived at the Libertyville facility at 742 East Park Ave. before 9 am, when most people were still sleeping in on the first day of the weekend. The second crew of players, parents, coaches, and staff members worked through the early afternoon.
Heart of the City is a Waukegan-based nonprofit organization increasing affordable access to the life-changing game of soccer, but its mission of changing the trajectory of young lives includes offering off-the-field experiences that enhance children's opportunity for a successful future.
"There is a natural relatedness that comes from participation in youth soccer," shared Adrienne Wright, the nonprofit's Director of Development. "Hands-on community service experiences like this give our players a chance to rise to the occasion and work as a team off the pitch to help others."
Heart of the City chose Feed My Starving Children as its service site because the organization welcomes volunteers of all ages. Children as young as five can volunteer.
At the packing session Saturday, about 125 volunteers packed 88,560 meals into 410 large boxes. The meals will feed an estimated 250 children for one year in Haiti.
With nearly 60 volunteer coaches helping to manage its 30 recreation program teams, Heart of the City is a volunteer-driven organization itself.
Miguel Figueroa, who leads the HOTC Supersonics team, has coached with the nonprofit organization since its founding in 2014. Twenty-seven players, parents, and friends from his team participated in the recent service event at FMSC.
"I wanted my players to participate in this service opportunity, so they could learn there are many people in the world who need help and they could learn how to work as a team to help them," explained Figueroa.
One of the players on the Supersonics team, Joshua Arreola Malagon, said he felt like everyone was happy with the experience, "The best part of packing meals was that I was able to help kids in need with my friends."
"I was tired, but very happy after the event because I was working with my friends to make packets for kids that need food. We need to help starving children," added Malagon's teammate, Angel Figueroa.
World hunger is a serious topic, but the atmosphere of Saturday's service event was upbeat with music and lots of laughter. The teams took turns calling out a cheer like "1-2-3, Heart of the City!" each time they filled a box.
"We were grateful for the opportunity to encourage our players to recognize the ways in which they can work together to positively influence the community and the world." enthused Wright. "Service helps our players develop a heart for giving back and helping others."
About Heart of the City
Heart of the City changes the trajectory of young lives in Lake County, IL by ensuring affordable access to organized soccer experiences. The charitable nonprofit inspires its players to become competitive on the field, successful in the classroom, and productive in the community. For more information visit Heartofthecitysports.org or email info@heartofthecitysports.org.
About Feed My Starving Children
Feed My Starving Children is a Christian non-profit fighting world hunger. Founded in 1987, the organization provides nutritionally complete meals specifically formulated for malnourished children. For more information, visit https://www.fmsc.org.