Girl Scouts Pack More Than 12K Meals for Starving Children in Nicaragua

The second-grade Girl Scout troop rounded up as many members as they could find on their most recent day off of school, Friday, May 4th, and headed out to the Eagan Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) facility for a few fun-filled hours of food packing.  

After watching a video about the organization, the girls each donned a hairnet and scrubbed their hands like surgeons heading to the OR. It took a little while, but soon each of the girls were working like old pros on an assembly line.

After completing the task of packing meals, the girls participated in a blessing over the food for the children who will receive this food in approximately six to 10 weeks. The Girl Scouts and nearly 50 other volunteers helped to pack nearly 60 boxes of over 200 meals resulting in a total of 12,528 meals, or a year's worth of meals, for 35 children in Nicaragua.

What was most memorable for many of the girls was a "before and after" picture of Omar, a boy from El Salvador who weighed a startling 19 lbs (smaller than many one year olds) at the age of 8, the the same age as many of the girls in the troop. In little over a year's time, Omar was able to gain over 50 pounds by eating the food sent by FMSC. Not an eye was dry after the girls headed home to appreciate the easy access they all have to food.

For a full listing of other volunteer opportunities for children in the southwest metro area, click here.