Trip to Feed The Hungry South Bend

Trip to South Bend

When I was invited to join the Team of International Directors at Feed the Hungry Head Office & distribution centre at South Bend, Indiana, the feelings I had were of excitement and of entering into the unknown, turning into an experience that starts to bring reality into the pages of newsletters, appeals and web sites.

As the myriads of stories told and passions shared broke out from the experience of a dedicated team, meeting the needs in the far flung corners of the world of orphans, families and villages suffering under the struggles that go beyond what we can comprehend, my heart melted.

Melting with thanksgiving for the people who partner in prayer and giving, to allow compassion to flow through to the teams of people busily working their socks off, from the mail room and admin staff, to fork lift drivers and truckers, to coordinators and book keepers, to logistic managers and project staff and those preparing the teams to go out into the field.

Reality struck home of the poignant need when I placed my hands on sacks of rice and beans destined for places as far apart as Romania, Nicaragua and Sudan.  Food placed into the hands of mission teams, churches and dedicated individuals working on the ground, determined to change despair into lasting hope.

The stories of generosity from people around the world was heartwarming, from a few stamps in the post, to the supply of enough flour to make bread for 400 orphans in the far outreaches of North Korea, to the dedication of team from Germany driving an Ambulance across Europe and Asia to Pakistan, and to those responsible for feeding 8,000 children in one centre alone in Africa.

I am looking forward to working with Peter Sumrall and the project teams. My first field assignment being to work with a team distributing food to orphanages and a leprosy hospital in eastern Romania in late October, hopefully before the first snow caps the mountains. I also look forward to sharing further with you, what is happening on the ground, as over 20 shipments are currently being loaded or in transit across the globe.

If you would like to hear more about the work in the form of a newsletter about the different projects, or would like to get more involved in Feed the Hungry please email me at gwilliams@feedthehungry.com