To some, April 18th was a school day and the beginning of the weekend. For the Fallon Christian Club, however, it was Good Friday. This Christian holiday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Celebrated on the Friday before Easter, Christians choose this day to mourn and spread love. As has been done every year, members of the Fallon Christian Club volunteered at the Pleasanton Kids Against Hunger.
At Kids Against Hunger, the volunteers prepare meals to be shipped to various countries. The meal packages contain soy (protein), nutritious vitamins, rice, and vegetables. Each package received by numerous underprivileged children is a specially made bag, capable of storing food for over three years. If packed properly, it can be stored for up to twenty-five years! Each volunteer table incorporates five different jobs, in which you can work and socialize.
The Fallon Christian Club, joined by a small group of Girl Scouts, packaged an astonishing 10,584 meals! Each meal package can feed up to 6 children. All ten thousand meals were sent to the Appalachians. Pictures of the event can be found on Facebook under the Kids Against Hunger Bay Area profile and the Fallon Christian Club Instagram. About sixty members from the Fallon Christian Club attended, including teachers.
One of the main tenets of Christianity is serving the poor, and these volunteers have given their time to feed thousands. The mission of the Fallon Christian Club is to provide a fun and safe environment where students can learn about Christian faith, make new friends, and serve the community. These services include Operation Christmas Child and Kids Against Hunger!
Kids Against Hunger is a non-profit humanitarian organization with a mission to “provide fully nutritious food to impoverished children and families around the world…and around the corner.” The Kids Against Hunger program has partnered with seventy countries, helping malnourished kids within and outside the country. Kids Against Hunger has also sent out food for those struggling due to the LA fires. Some communities rely solely on the food the volunteers provide, fueling the program’s urgency for more volunteers. This is true for every Kids Against Hunger location, spanning all across the United States. The goal of the organization is for the meals to provide a stable nutritional base from which recipients can move their families from starvation or food insecurity to self-sufficiency. Kids Against Hunger was established in March 1999, with the efforts of founder Richard Proudfit. He initially began the work in 1974 in Honduras after witnessing child starvation following a hurricane, which led him to commit his life and resources to addressing world hunger.
Here is what some volunteers said about working with Kids Against Hunger:
Eighth grader, Elin Cheng, an experienced volunteer, noted, “It was such an eye-opening experience! I was able to see the impact of an ordinary school club on starving children all over the world. The atmosphere in the warehouse was lively, as the volunteers were singing and having a great time.”
As the author myself, “I enjoyed volunteering at the Kids Against Hunger. It was my first time, and it seemed fun packing the rice and other ingredients to help a cause.”
PE teacher, Mrs. Volk said, “I thought it was really cool to bring together the Fallon Christian Club for a good cause. As humans and Christians we are called to help serve the poor and those in need, and when you help others, it actually is a bigger blessing for yourself as well as them. It can bring you a lot of joy to know that you’re making a difference.”
Fallon Christian Club advisor and teacher Mr. Zarcone said, “My experience at Kids Against Hunger was fantastic. We brought 53 students and 5 teachers to package meals for hungry children in the US and around the globe. I always tell my students at Fallon Christian Club how rewarding it is to serve others and put their needs above your own. When you help others, you help yourself. It was incredible to see the smiles on the faces of students working at the warehouse, and really encouraging to hear that they all want to know when the next service trip will be. We can’t wait to serve again!”
Sources:
https://www.kidsagainsthunger.org/