Feeding children

This Christmas many of us will enjoy time with family, unwrap presents and partake in a great deal of festive food. However, there are many around the world -- especially children -- who know the feeling of hunger all too well. LaCroix United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau is trying to change this.

About 2,100 volunteers organized through LaCroix are spending part of their weekend at West Park Mall packaging food in conjunction with Feed My Starving Children, a Christian-based organization committed to distributing food to those in need.

This is the third time LaCroix has partnered with the organization. The church packed 157,000 meals over two days last December. The project was to be funded through offerings collected at the church's Christmas Eve services, and the response was overwhelming. Due to the generosity displayed at the services, the church was able to pack an additional 313,000 meals over two days in March of this year.

This weekend volunteers will pack 464,000 meals, enough to feed approximately 1,200 children for a year. After the packaging is finished, the food will be shipped directly to those in need. Last year's food was shipped to Haiti, where the warehouse used for storage was miraculously not damaged by the devastating earthquake.

Those wishing to learn more about Feed My Starving Children can visit West Park Mall between 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. today at the former Steve and Barry's location. To donate to the cause, contact LaCroix at 339-0302.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, may we also remember those less fortunate and be a Christmas blessing to those in need.