Participants of the 2014 Susquehanna Annual Conference were given the opportunity to participate in a hands-on mission project during breaks and meal times.
Stop Hunger Now is an international hunger relief organization, working in 65 countries around the world, sending nutrient-rich meals to malnourished children in schools and orphanages.
Andrew Moser, a representative from Stop Hunger Now, Philadelphia, was on site at Messiah College with a meal packaging program. The packets combine rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and a flavoring mixture including 21 essential vitamins and minerals. Each packet can feed six people and is easily prepared.
Moser told the assembly, “I’m very, very passionate about what we do, and we couldn’t do it without volunteers like you. We are sending excellent, nutrient-rich, specifically-designed meals to malnourished children, and we are literally saving lives. 21,000 people die every day from hunger-related illnesses around the world. These meals will go directly to schools and orphanages.”“We don’t drop them out of a plane and hope that someone gets them. We have amazing partners that we send them to. We tell mothers, “Don’t send your children to the corner to beg. Don’t send them to the dumps to look for food or other valuables to sell. Don’t send them into the fields to work all day in hopes that they get a meal. Send them to school. We guarantee them a hot meal while they’re there. We’ve seen amazing results of kids who have grown up in these programs and have gone on to provide good lives for their own families.”
Our Annual Conference goals were to package 70,000 meals and raise at least $17,500 with the special offering taken during the Thursday evening Memorial Service. Moser reported on Friday afternoon that 70,112 meals had been packaged. As of this printing, $20,572 has been collected, with more funds still arriving at the Conference Office. We have received an initial report that some of the meals packaged during Annual Conference are already on their way to Malawi.Bishop Jeremiah J. Park celebrated and thanked everyone who participated, stating, “Indeed we are a conference in action for mission. We are demonstrating that even during our [Annual Conference] sessions. I really appreciate your participation in this very exciting mission program, which really feeds the hungry people, particularly children in different countries, so I appreciate your participation.”
