BP church meat sale to help fund hunger program

It’s a lofty goal – making 101,000 meals in two days – but it’s not out of reach, especially in a place like Blooming Prairie.

“We’re hosting it, but everyone is welcome,” said Rev. Mike Walerius of Blooming Prairie’s First Lutheran Church.

“It” is a mobile pack for Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), a nonprofit organization that uses volunteers to put together specially formulated food packets for the malnourished in more than 70 countries around the world.

The local pack is set for May 19-20, with an informal motto of “101,000 meals with 500 volunteers in two days.”

The church hosted an identical event four years ago, “and I’ve heard about it ever since,” Walerius said. “The reception was really wonderful.”

When the world opened back up after COVID-19 swept through, “people were rumbling about bringing it back,” he said. “After the pandemic, this coming together to do something seems especially important.”

But it comes with a cost: The church is raising $30,000 to pay for the food, material, and shipping; that amount dictates how many meals will be packed.

Like everything else, FMSC has been hit by inflation: “Prices (per meal) have gone up from 25 cents to 29 cents,” Walerius said.

To raise money, First Lutheran Church has planned a number of events – including the upcoming meat sale.

From steaks to pork to chicken, a portion of the proceeds from each box sold will go toward the mobile pack. The meat is provided by Geneva Meats.

Cheri Krejci was a member of the church’s FMSC committee in 2019, and “when they said they wanted to do it again, I said, ‘yes, I want to be part of that.’ You think of all the starving kids in different countries, and it makes you think how fortunate we are. It’s pretty inspiring.”

The meat sale, which is open to anyone, was a success in 2019.

“It’s great meat for grilling, and for spring – just in case that ever comes,” she laughed.

Order forms for the meat are available at the church and are in this edition of the Steele County Times.

Payment is requested at the time of the order; the sale runs from April 1-15.

Pick-up is from 10 a.m. to noon on April 30 in the First Lutheran Church parking lot.

In addition to the meat sale, the church is selling FMSC T-shirts and hosted a Hormel ham and Hope butter family bingo last week.

The littlest members are also contributing.

“We gave all 103 Sunday school kids Tootsie Roll banks,” Walerius said. “They get a bunch of Tootsie Rolls, and we ask them to put their change in them. We want the kids to realize we’re all called to give and help where we can.”

The children raised nearly $1,100 for the last mobile pack, he said.

It’s likely children will also be a part of the two-day pack, but “there’s something for everybody to do,” Krejci said, from packing to putting labels on bags. Gloves and hairnets are required and will be provided.

“It’s quite the thing to see and to do,” she said. “The whole church gets reconfigured into a packing place.”

Volunteers may sign up for a 2-hour time slot on Friday night or one of three open shifts on Saturday.

A short orientation is part of the shift, including a video.

“We have hand-washing stations, then go into the social hall and pack” for about 90 minutes, Walerius said.

“It’s really cool to know that the food you actually packed is in the hands of hungry children and missionaries who know what to do with it,” he said. The church learns about a month after the event where the food went.

According to the organization, hunger causes nearly half of deaths in children under age 5. FMSC estimates at least 6,200 children die every day from issues related to undernutrition.

“We know there are people dying of starvation around the world,” Walerius said. “It feels too insurmountable, too much to overcome – but this is a way to help other than just writing a check. This is an interactive way to feel like you’re helping, and I think people really want to offer their time and be involved; they just don’t know how.

“This is a Blooming Prairie experience, not a First Lutheran experience,” he said, “and it’s tangible.”

How to help feed the starving

• Donate or volunteer: Feed My Starving Children mobile pack on May 19-20, register at give.fmsc.org/blooming

• Meat sale: April 1-15, with pick-up at noon April 30. Order forms are available at First Lutheran Church, 434 First St. SW, or in this edition of the Steele County Times. Payment is requested with the order.