Photo courtesy of Tom Spencer

ATHENS—Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) will host its annual MobilePack event on April 25-27 in Athens. The event will bring together an estimated 1,000 volunteers from the city’s churches, schools and surrounding communities. The volunteers will pack a staggering 185,000 meals for children around the world.  

The Athens MobilePack event started in 2023 and is made possible through its partnership with the Catholic Center at the University of Georgia. 

Through the support of the UGA Athletic Association, volunteers gather inside Stegeman Coliseum, one of UGA’s sporting arenas. Individuals work in shifts to prepare and ship meals that will provide essential nutrition to children in need around the world.  

“It’s been so meaningful for us to be established and have a wonderful facility to do this in,” said Tom Spencer, Athens’ event host. “Everyone loves to come together and make a difference. The work is so uplifting.”  

FMSC is a Christian nonprofit that combats starvation by providing meals to children in desperate need. MobilePack events, named after the tractor trailers that carry the ingredients to host cities, allow volunteers to pack thousands of meals that are then shipped to charity partners across the globe.  

The objective, as stated on the program’s website, is that “through God, FMSC will strive to eliminate malnutrition and starvation in children throughout the world by helping to instill compassion in a generation that hears and responds to the cries of those in need until all are fed.” 

FMSC serves children in countries across the Caribbean, North and Central America, the Middle East, Asia, South America, Europe and Africa. Last year, almost 450 million meals were provided to 58 countries.  

On the ground, Feed My Starving Children has a connection with Catholic nonprofits, working with Salesian Missions in 28 countries and Cross Catholic Outreach in 17 countries. 

Since the event’s introduction to Athens, the city has embraced the cause, and the number of volunteers keeps rising.  

“The student participation is growing,” Spencer said. “We’ve even had faculty and student athletes join us. We’re on a strong growth path, and I just wish for us to keep going because we have so much more potential.”  

Volunteers work in shifts at designated stations, in which individuals scoop and funnel ingredients into bags. A single two-hour shift will result in enough meals to feed a child for seven months.  

Meals packed at MobilePack events consist of rice, soy, vegetables and vitamin flavoring. Volunteers are invited to pray over the meals they pack. According to the organization, its staff members pray for each loaded container before it leaves a facility.  

Each year, Stegeman Coliseum is “pumping with good music, and whenever a new container box is done, everyone throws their arms up and says ‘yay,’” Spencer shared. Many volunteers get to know each other and talk about the importance of their work.  

“It’s just a good feeling at this event because everyone is so dedicated to the mission,” he said. “When you understand the unimaginable level of suffering these children go through, you want to do everything you can to help.”  

Volunteering in a MobilePack event is just one way that individuals can help the cause. The organization also encourages financial contributions, with 90% of donations going directly to meal production.  

As the event approaches, Spencer encourages other parishes and communities within the Archdiocese of Atlanta to consider hosting their own MobilePack event.  

“I feel strongly that as Christians we are called to serve those most in need,” Spencer said. “As we grow in our Christian life, opportunities like this are hard to miss, and it’s just wonderful to do something for others.”  

Parishes and communities can apply through the FMSC website, www.fmsc.org, which details the requirements and specifications of hosting an event. To volunteer at or donate to this year’s Athens MobilePack event, visit give.fmsc.org/athens.

“I understand that it can be a big undertaking to start the event, but I feel as Catholics we are all called to do more,” Spencer said. “For the busiest person, this is an easy thing to do.”