News

We have sent 2 truck loads to Haiti since the hurricane blew through

Honduras has received 2 loads lately

4 loads went to Mozambique with Mattermore. A partner of ours.  Mozambique has been experiencing severe drought for over 2 years.

If your child is five years old, and someone asked you if you’re planning for their High School Graduation already, your response is likely no. While it’s true you are not planning the reception and choosing where to celebrate, you are laying the ground work to help your child graduate from High School. From teaching valuable life lessons and learning to read, to teaching responsibility and how to be a good friend, you are helping ready your child for later in life.

The same parallel can be drawn to helping the people of natural disasters, like the people of Nepal. While Food For Kidz does not have food being distributed yet in the hardest hit areas of Nepal, valuable leg work is being done to help the people hardest hit by the devastating Earthquake. As with all emergency situations, we all want to act as quick as possible. Food For Kidz is no different. However, we are very careful not to inhibit emergency relief organizations that are already best positioned to help. Limited resources like communication, transportation, and airports are overwhelmed in the first few days and weeks following such a disaster.
In Nepal,  the International agencies are responding with aid which are overwhelming customs and the infrastructure of the country. It will take several months for the logistics to clear and transportation problems to be rectified before shipment of our food is expected.

The GOOD NEWS is that Food For Kids does have routes planned for shipment through India and on to Kathmandu when it is possible to send shipments of food. We can plan now for food packing events for response to this tragic situation.  Either donating to Food For Kidz or helping package food as soon as possible, will help thousands of people in the months to come!  Shipments to Nepal will be ready in several months.The need is great and will be ongoing for quite some time.

We also never know when another natural disaster like this will strike, and helping package food now helps speed the process along later when we need to act quickly. Please check on the next event nearest you, consider scheduling your own food packing event, or read about other ways you can help.

Imagine needing to leave your home, but having no place to go. What would you do? What would you take with you, knowing you are likely going to walk and have children to carry?
There are millions of displaced people around the world who either become refugees to another country, or stay within the borders of their own country with no real place to go. Food, shelter, health, and safety are basic, immediate needs. There are displaced people in need of food in the Ukraine, and Food For Kidz is currently shipping 3 containers of food (855,360 meals) to the people there.

According to a recent article in ABC NEWS, “ 38 million people are internally displaced worldwide by conflict”. What can you do? There are ways you can help, and Food For Kidz will continue to engage volunteers in packing food. We continue to monitor situations and ways we can help get food to those in need, and work with global partners to reduce time and streamline resources.

Please sign-up for our newsletter at the bottom of our homepage, so we can send you news and opportunities to help in your area.

Due to her previous work with the Bayat Foundation, Mary Baumgarten of Food for Kidz accepted an invitation from the Bayat Foundation to travel to Kabul, Afghanistan to participate in an event two years in the making. While visiting Food for Kidz in MN, Ehsan and Fatema Bayat were introduced to the Starkey Foundation, and the plans were set in motion for the Starkey Hearing Foundation to travel to Kabul. Food for Kidz in Stewart, MN has worked closely with the Bayat Foundation in the distribution of millions of meals throughout the provinces and cities of Afghanistan. The food is distributed in hospitals, schools, and orphanages.

Food for Kidz has worked closely with the Bayat Foundation in the distribution of millions of meals throughout Afghanistan

During her recent visit to Afghanistan, Mary’s movement was restricted because of security concerns. However, restricted travel and a tight schedule didn’t stop her from visiting a school with Mrs. Bayat. The lack of any desks, chalk boards, and paper didn’t deter the teachers from still trying to teach these children. The Head Attendant at the school kept reiterating how the children’s health and capacity for learning had improved since receiving the food from Food for Kidz.

Along with the Starkey Foundation and Bayat Foundation over 850 children and adults were fitted with hearing aids and given the gift of hearing. Previous to our visit, 600 children were identified as needing hearing aids and impressions taken of their ears. These children were then bussed to the Bayat Media Center compound in Kabul where our teams fit each child with their personalized hearing aids. Children who had never heard before were able to hear for the first time. The excitement in their eyes and surprised expressions on their faces when they heard their first sounds was very moving.
Communication was a challenge. However, the combination of sign language interrupters and English translators helped us to effectively communicate with our clients. Only providing the service for 2 days limited our exposure, but the word spread throughout Kabul quickly. We had over 300 Afghans walk-in patients on the second day. These walk-ins were mothers with children, elderly, and teenage children. One mother brought in her four children who were all hearing impaired, and she was able leave the event with all four children able to hear for the first time in their lives.
Needless to say everyone was extremely grateful; the mother who could hear her child for the first time, the teenage boy who could hear music, the little boy who could now hear his voice and joyfully proclaimed by giggling and shouting “Ba, Ba, Ba”, LOUDLY to everyone, and the children amazed that the water fountain in the courtyard made noise! These are only a few of the examples of gratitude we experienced. Many were still silent, but the gesture of their hand over their hearts and tears spoke volumes.

How do you instill a generous spirit in young children so they continually grow in compassion and understanding?

“There never was any heart truly great and generous, that was not also tender and compassionate.”  Robert Frost

Teaching kids to give of themselves to help others is one of life’s most valuable lessons, and one that takes time and repetition. There are many ways to teach volunteerism and philanthropy, and it starts in very simple ways. Consistency and creativity help kids of various ages, abilities and learning styles internalize the many ways they can make a difference in the world.

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” Edward Everett Hale

As the holidays approach and opportunities abound to give of our time, talents, resources, skills, and money, it’s important to take the time to involve kids, for the true value of doing these things is to involve others and raise another generation who wants to help.

Questions to ask that will help you and young people get the most out of holiday “giving”

• Is giving money the only way to help with this, or is there a way to be more involved, if only in a small way?
• When donating money, is there a way for the children to be involved such as hand delivering?
• When supporting a project or organization somewhere, is a tour possible? Are there people or animals benefiting with whom the children can interact, such as a senior center , nursing home or animal shelter?
• Is there part of the fundraiser that kids can help with such as making signs or decorating collection boxes?
• Is there an easier fundraiser that kids can do more self-sufficiently, or better yet can the kids decide how to raise money and what they’d like to do? Can they take the lead?
• Is there an activity involved such as packaging food at Food for Kidz (all ages welcome), packing shoe boxes for Operation Shoe box, or other “hands on” ways to help?
• Have you made sure activities are as much of a family event as possible? Kids have a hard time understanding why they are going through their clothes, toys or books to donate, if parents aren’t doing the same.
• Are you prepared to answer questions? Do you know where money goes when kids throw it in the big red kettle outside the shopping mall? Be prepared to explain what the money is used for and how it helps people.
• Is there a new, meaningful, and memorable tradition you can start with your family? Maybe something your kids will look forward to each year and anticipate.
• Are there ways to keep the spirit of giving alive long after the holidays are over? Can you make a plan to involve kids all year round in different ways so they learn that compassion isn’t limited to the holidays, and neither is the need?

What would you add to this list? In what ways do you involve your children  in serving others?

Apollo, a pastor living in the hardest hit area by Typhoon Haiyan was kind enough to share his story with us. Food for Kidz and our many volunteers are humbled by the stories of hardship experienced by so many, and at the same time inspired to continue with our mission.

“My family and the Church we pastored-Family Life Crossroads Ministries of Asia, Inc. in Tacloban City (the hardest-hit area by the typhoon “Haiyan” in the Philippines) and Catbalogan City, Samar, Philippines would like to say a heartfelt thanks for helping us in times of our grief and need. Being one of the survivors, we were in need of food. The food packs you have given have greatly helped us a lot.

Thank you, the Lord bless you and all your kind efforts in helping our brethren in need. You might not ever meet or know us personally, but we are assured of the love you shared to us in such a time like this. Your kind of love we will always be remembered. We pray that God will continue to use Food for Kidz and your program in a greater way for Him and His glory. Thank you again and God bless.”