During Fall Camp 2008, on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, campers gathered
in the dining room of the Shrine Mont hotel and participated in the first outreach project in the history of Fall Camp to
package over 9,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now. This year our goal is to package at least 20,000 meals.
The Millennium Development Goals are a priority of the Episcopal Church.
One of the goals is to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015. Packaging food to feed some of the worlds poorest is a hands on
way to contribute to meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
There are more than 1 billion people in the world living at the
margin of survival on less than $1 a day. 2.6 billion people live on less than $2 per day - which is 40% of the
world’s population. Over 800 million of these poor suffer from chronic hunger, which means that their daily intake of
calories is insufficient for them to lead active and healthy lives. 25,000 people die every day from hunger and hunger
related causes. A child dies every six seconds because he or she is hungry. We can do something about this.
None of us live on $2 a day much less $1 a day. We have been blessed
to live in this country. Our baptismal covenant calls us to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves,
and to strive for justice and peace among all people respecting the dignity of every human being. Jesus in the 25th
chapter of Matthew tells us that inasmuch as we feed the least among us, we feed him too.
We have chosen to partner with Stop Hunger Now because they are an international
hunger relief organization that coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid around the world. The organization
is driven by a vision to end world hunger in our lifetime and a mission to provide food and life-saving aid to the world’s
most destitute and hungry in the most sustainable, efficient and effective manner. Stop Hunger Now has provided over $56 million
dollars worth of direct aid and 15 million meals to more than 70 countries worldwide since its founding in 1998.
This year 9.5 million meals are slated to be packaged.
Each meal costs only 25 cents. The food stores easily, has a shelf-life
of five years and transports quickly. The meals are a combination of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and a flavoring mix
that includes 21 essential vitamins and minerals. We will have an opportunity to sample these meals. One camper said it tastes
a bit like Rice-A-Roni.
For us to package 20,000 meals we need to raise $5,000 to cover the
cost of these meals. If every camper raised at least $50 for Stop Hunger Now, we would have more than enough money to pay
for these meals. We challenge you to ask you family and friends to contribute to this project, suggest that your church take
up a special offering one Sunday, get the youth involved in helping raise funds, ask your region or convocation for a contribution.
Those who participated in packaging meals last year requested that we
do it again this year. It doesn’t take long, it’s easy, and it’s fun. Just ask someone who attended camp
last year.
WE CAN STOP HUNGER NOW. WE
HAVE THE MEANS. DO WE HAVE THE WILL?
You may send your donations for Stop Hunger Now with your registration
or bring them to Fall Camp.
For questions or more information about Fall Camp or Stop Hunger Now
call 540/894-5358 or click here for your registration form.
