Feed My Starving Children Alpine Church

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This photo from 2014 shows members of the Alpine Church preparing bags of food for the Feed My Starving Children nonprofit group.

Supplied photo

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In this 2014 photo, a member of the Alpine Church finishes up a food pouch as part of the Feed My Starving Children project.

Rachel Trotter/Standard-Examiner correspondent)

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RIVERDALE — Congregations of the Alpine Church in Riverdale and Layton didn't spend a lot of time relaxing between Christmas and New Year's — they spent their time serving.

Members of the church completed three big projects in the few days following Christmas, and finished off their holiday celebrations by filling more than 200,000 food packets worth $44,000 for the Feed My Starving Children nonprofit organization.

Church members also spent a day packing boxes to send school supplies to children in Mexico, and spent another day gathering and taking groceries to local needy families. The members spent two days completing revolving shifts for the Feed My Starving Children program as well.

"This time of year, people are ready to give," said Brent Hinsley, local outreach pastor for Alpine Church. He loves the way his congregations catch the spirit of giving and want to keep it going.

The Layton and Riverdale congregations started collecting money around Thanksgiving for the Feed My Starving Children cause and raised a large amount of money for the food packets, which consist of rice, protein and vegetables. The items are put in bags and vacuum-packed so they can be sent all over the world, most often to third-world countries where many die from starvation.

Alpine Church has been working with Feed My Starving Children for a couple of years now, and Hinsley was able to see firsthand, along with some other youths in his church, how the food is put to good use when they traveled to the Philippines earlier in 2012. As the food bags came out, the children came running with big grins, he said.

"It's amazing to see what you guys have done here. It is really going to fill some hungry stomachs," Hinsley said to the growing crowd gathering for the Dec. 29 afternoon shift to fill the food bags.

Hinsley said members could sign up online for the different shifts, and it was put together by the Feed My Starving Children group. He likes working with the group because it is organized and he knows everything is going to the right place.

The group brings the food in according to how much money the church raises, and the people get busy bagging the food. About 60 to 80 people are working during each two- to three-hour shift, and they are given detailed instructions on how to pack the food. Cleanliness is also very important.

Hairnets and hand sanitizer were used, and everyone had a job in the food-packing room — with some even assigned to be cheerleaders.

Steve Nerhoeven and Randy Yates did more than their fair share of packing food — working both and Friday and Saturday — but both said once they start, they can't stop themselves.

"It's just a bad habit," Nerhoeven said with a laugh. He said he likes the fact that he is helping others, and he also enjoys spending time with his friends.

Yates said once he saw the before and after pictures of children who had been eating the food packets for 18 days, he can't not work a lot of hours.

"It just breaks your heart,and then you see that change after 18 days, and you have to do it," Yates said.

"We are filling God's mandate to do what Jesus told us and go out unto all nations," Nerhoeven said. "This is part of that process."

This is the second year that Kimber King and her family have participated in filling the food bags.

"Being the holiday, we just felt that we needed to give back.It makes the meaning of Christmas real for us," King said.

She, her husband and sons joked and laughed as they filled the food bags and figured out how to work the vacuum sealer. They enjoy the family time together, too.

Hinsley said that is a part of what makes the weekend special — getting the families together and working together.

For more information on Feed My Starving Children, visit www.fmsc.org.

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Source: https://www.standard.net/lifestyle/2013/jan/04/alpine-church-members-prepare-nutritious-meals-for-starving-people-the-world-over/