They are highly rated by Charity Navigator and they provide meals to at risk children.

I have been volunteering here with a group from the YMCA. It is a good time working with others to help fight hunger. I usually work in the warehouse area doing different tasks. I have volunteered in the packing area but do enjoy the warehouse. If you are looking to volunteer somewhere this may be the place. read more

We volunteer here monthly with a group from our YMCA. This is a great place working to help with world hunger. I have done different jobs here but recently have been helping with labeling. It is always a good time volunteering here. read more

Feed My Starving Children is a Christian non-profit organization that has been feeding poor, hungry children around the world since 1987. It's headquartered in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. They have multiple facilities in the Midwest and Western US and also do "MobilePack" volunteer events around the country. I participated in the latter through a volunteer program at my workplace. The event took place earlier this month at Grace Community Church in Marietta, Georgia. I enjoyed it and, as far as I can tell, all my coworkers who participated had fun too. We helped pack meals. Specifically, we helped pack bags of rice and other food branded and known as "MannaPack Rice" (they have other varieties of MannaPack that include potato instead of rice). MannaPack is scientifically-formulated to provide basic nutrition. The four main ingredients are rice, soy, dried veggies, and vitamin powder (so the meal is fortified). As a Soylent drinker, I wondered why they didn't just distribute something like Soylent instead (Soylent is another scientifically-formulated, healthy, and nutritious meal: https://www.yelp.com/biz/soylent-los-angeles-2). The reason is obvious: cost. I was told a single MannaPack costs only $0.22 (6-12 servings). A bottle of Soylent costs about $3.30 (1 serving). Huge difference. The sanctuary of the church was cleared out and used as the temporary MobilePack meal-packing facility. Everything was already set up for us. All we had to do was listen to staff from Feed My Starving Children and watch an instructional and safety video. The instructional video was a bit long and it was hard to remember everything after just one viewing. After the video, it was pretty much "off to the races" and people seemed to station-up willy-nilly. There wasn't a whole lot of direction or organization. We worked two shifts, morning and afternoon. We worked with other groups -- churches, schools, and other organizations. Since we familiarized ourselves with the meal-packing process during the morning session, we knew exactly what to do in the afternoon session. I think it might be better if they split the instructional video in half and assign people to tasks earlier so they can better focus on the task(s) they need to accomplish. I saw many confused people during both the morning and afternoon sessions. Tasks included scooping rice and soy in bulk, making sure each station had enough rice and soy to keep the assembly lines moving; scooping individual portions of rice, soy, veggies, and vitamins; opening packs, weighing packs (380-400 grams), and sealing packs; stacking packs, boxing packs, and loading the boxes onto pallets. Each 2-hour packing session we participated in yielded something in the range of roughly 20,000 to 30,000 MannaPacks. According to Feed My Starving Children's calculations, in each session, we packed enough food to feed about 60 to 80 children 1 meal a day for 1 year. I'm not sure why they used 1 meal a day. Using 2-3 meals a day would've been a more realistic metric. After each packing session, we watched a video of little kids from an orphanage in Africa talking about what they wanted to be when they grow up. The point of the video, as Feed My Starving Children staff explained to us, was that thanks in part to our volunteering, less fortunate kids don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. Instead, they can focus on other things like school. The video and rattling off of statistics like the numbers in the paragraph above were supposed to give volunteers the warm and fuzzies, and to demonstrate in numbers, the impact they've (we've) made. Also after each session, a prayer was held over a pallet of boxes. Participation was optional. This was my second meal-packing volunteer experience. The first was at Open Hand, a local non-profit in Atlanta (https://www.yelp.com/biz/open-hand-atlanta-atlanta). The two experiences were different. At Open Hand, we were inside an actual refrigerated food facility and preparing meal trays (essentially TV dinners) with "real" food such as chicken, mushroom risotto, cornbread, and condiments. Those meals were delivered by volunteers locally. Open Hand was a more tightly-run ship. Feed My Starving Children was a bigger, louder production. They had upbeat music playing in the background and encouraged volunteers to have fun during the meal-packing process such as hootin' and hollerin' in celebration after a box of 36 MannaPacks had been completed. It was a more hectic and chaotic. I don't think the training nor quality control were as good, from the contents of a bag to the quality of its seal (I witnessed a couple bags burst open accidentally after sealing). What Feed My Starving Children and other non-profits like this are doing is great. I just hope changes are being made in the communities where these MannaPacks are being sent so they don't abuse and/or grow dependent on all this free food. They need to be uplifted. read more

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This faith based ministry packs food and seeds it worldwide to help alleviate the global issue of hunger. Ages 5 and up can sign up to pack food as well as serve in other capacities. Upon entry they run you through a brief orientation and help you understand what drives their organization and how they specifically help. After serving in 40+ countries I have seen the reality of hunger up close and most Americans I know live in the top 2% of the world economically. Through generous donations from individuals, churches and the marketplace they secure nutritious food items for a protein based soup and package and process on site. Our group packed for Nicaragua a country I have visited several times. You work as a team and it's rewarding to know your labors are blessing others. For a community that loves food - get in the game YELP :) read more

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This is the second year that I have brought a group of volunteers from the Scandia-Marine Lions Club and their families to Feed My Starving Children on the day after Thanksgiving. We had 36 people volunteering and it was great experience for us all! The pre-packing online registration is easy and efficient. When we arrived, there were plenty of parking spots available and the overflow lot also was open. We checked in and got a hairnet (which is required for working with food). After a brief introduction about FMSC, we watched a video about the impact that the food had on a young girl in Uganda. The transformation was amazing! There were people in our group who were moved to tears seeing how the rice, vegetables, soy, and vitamin meals could take a child close to death and give her life once again! There are many ways to volunteer, so our group did so in a number of ways: the majority packed food while others worked "behind the scenes" with scooping soy into the bins, were runners (bringing food to the work stations or bringing completed boxes to the warehouse), or were box sealers (ensuring that all 36 packages of food were in the boxes and then sealing them). We had enough volunteers to fill 2 work stations. For about an hour or so we packed food. Some people stayed in one spot while others moved around to try different jobs at our stations. There was music playing, announcements to let us know how much time was still remaining, and a FMSC running up and down the main aisle ringing a triangle. They made packing food fun for everyone - from our youngest volunteers in third grade to our oldest volunteers at 80 years old! Before we knew it, the time in the packing area was done. FMSC had the volunteers stand near their work stations as a group and announce how many boxes had been packed. We cleaned our work stations and made our way back to the main room where everyone could sample the rice mixture that they packed. FMSC did a closing presentation about the impact that the volunteers had. During the packing session on November 29, 2019: - 209 boxes total were packed by all the volunteers (or 7,524 Manna Packs). - 216 meals can be made per box. - 45,144 meals will be made from these boxes. - 124 kids can be fed for a year (1 meal per day). - The boxes will be shipped to Haiti and Afghanistan. The impact that the Scandia-Marine Lions and their families made on November 29, 2019: - The Scandia-Marine Lions packed 48 boxes or 23% of all the boxes packed during the 12-2 p.m. shift. - In the 48 boxes, the Lions and their families created 1,728 Manna Packs. - In total, the Lions and their families packed 10,368 meals. - Through the work done on November 29th, the Lions and their families will be feeding 29 children for a year! This means another year of health for these children and another year of school for them. What does 45,144 meals look like? - The Xcel Energy Center seats 18,000 people. Today's packing session will feed children who could fill the Xcel Energy Center 2 1/2 times. - The Lions and their families packed 48 boxes of food which will feed children who could fill over half (58%) of the Xcel Energy Center! Expenses: - Each meal costs only 24 cents. - For $88, a child can be fed for an entire year. - The cost of a box of food (36 Manna packs) is $52. This was such a worthwhile and meaningful way to volunteer, especially on the day after Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to returning again next year (though we will, most likely, be packing food before then either at the Coon Rapids location and/or a mobile pack closer to our home in April). read more

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First time volunteering for Feed my Starving Children! It was awesome experience! I would recommend anyone to do it! It was 2 hours of volunteer work and it was well worth it on a Saturday! I went with some coworkers for a volunteer event we planned for our organization. The sign up process was very simple and easy! They first introduced what the organization does and the importance of the organization. Then after that they break the group up into three. They ask volunteers to different set of jobs, which makes sense. Hair nets and no jewelry are to be worn when you're helping packing the food. I ended up going to the room that packed the food packets. Each station can have probably up to 8-10 people. There would be some people scooping the dry food into the funnel into the bag. Then there are two people to weigh the food and then a person to seal and pack the bagged dry food. It was fun volunteer opportunity! And to also do this community outreach event with my coworkers! read more

Feed My Starving Children - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Coon Rapids, Minnesota

I LOVEEEE going here every month. My friends and I come here once a month. We always make it a competition and try to surpass the boxes we packed the time before. It's ALWAY a great, positive and joyful atmosphere. They do a very good job explaining everything, afterwards you go pack the food. They play music while you pack and once you're done they tell you how much you packed and how many kids that feeds. If you're in the area I HIGHLY recommend you to go at least for one session. You just request a time on their website and show up when it's your time. read more

Feed My Starving Children - Chalkboard where it explains where the food you packed your session will be going to. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Coon Rapids, Minnesota

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Not only does this organization have a great mission (sending starving children across 31 countries nutritional meals!), but they make it very approachable and easy for volunteers to hop in and participate! A great group of Yelpers came here to kick off Yelp Helps 2016 (https://www.yelp.com/events/twin-cities-yelp-helps-2016), and it was a super fun and rewarding experience. The whole process was organized and informative. We watched a few short presentations, featuring rules/regulations, food packing instructions, and of course the children that we'd help feed and their stories. Very heartbreaking and warming at the same time. Jewelry off, hairnets on, and hands washed, the Yelp Helpers assembled at the packing stations. We efficiently packed vitamins, veggies, soy, and rice, measured and sealed the bags, and packed up boxes while cheering. The music was cranked and the hour flew by!!! After, we were able to sample the MannaPack meal (omg it's delicious!!) and learned that we had packed over 12,000 meals for children in Malawi. What an accomplishment. Thank you FMSC for all that you do. Fellow community members, check out this link to volunteer at one of their 3 MN locations: http://volunteer.fmsc.org/Register/Default.aspx#.VxpMgZMrJn4 read more

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FMSC has been a go-to volunteer organization for me for many years. These folks are incredibly efficient, friendly, and encouraging. I really like how easy they make it to volunteer whether you're on your own, with your family, or a large group of co-workers. FMSC is very kid-friendly and I love that about them because it instills great values in kids from a young age. Every time I go I see a boyscout troop or packs of school kids. I really appreciate the look on their faces when they realize how many children they helped feed. Eye-opening educational experience? Check. Volunteer shifts at this location average 2 hours in length, which includes a brief video in the beginning and time to clean up at the end. Volunteers are placed at tables with 10 to 16 people depending on how many are in attendance. A few more people work the storage area and watch the tables to ensure we're kept in stock of the needed supplies (vitamin powder, dried vegetables, soy powder, and rice). The staff are well aware that music adds to the fun so they play energetic tunes that everyone knows and can sing along to. Tables often get into a rhythm of yelling "Vita, Vegie, Soy, Rice" and shortly after proudly acknowledge when they've filled an entire box with the bagged food mixture. "BOX 5!!!" shout the kids next to us. "BOX 6!" we shout in return. This entertainment makes the time go by very quickly and you often hear "awww" when we're told it's time to stop. At the end of the volunteer shift we're told how many boxes were made and how many kids were fed. Wow, we did that in two hours? Amazing. This is why I keep coming back time and again. Keep up the great job FMSC! read more

My first time volunteering here and it was a truly great experience. I also love that kids 5 and older can volunteer. Truly great!! read more

Volunteered here for my first time with Yelp Helps! It was so much fun but went by way too quickly! Staff is so awesome, helpful and incredibly hard working. FMSC does amazing work and they make it so easy to help their cause. There are plenty of jobs your team (or just you) can be assigned to. Much of (if not all) the work is standing but there are jobs they can find for you if you need to sit. They have a little shop of handmade gifts and handpicked coffee. The money goes to the artists and all the packaging tells you how many meals you've funded. I will definitely be shopping here for any gifts I may need. There are three locations and I can't wait to volunteer again! read more

I have done FMSC about five times, and they are always a great time. I still don't know why they don't automate all this with a great philanthropist that will give them a few million dollars? For what it is, it is a fun time for a team charitable event. I think it is more of a fundraiser thing, but that is all good. It makes everyone feel good too. The people that work there are fantastic and they are doing what they feel is the right thing, but if they really wanted to feed as many people as possible, an automated filling machine would work a lot more efficiently. Overall though, a great charitable organization. read more

This was an awesome experience. I'm glad me and my coworkers took the time to help out this awesome organization. The organizers made sure we had a good time while helping people across the world. We packed food destined for the Philippines, in the time we were there we made over 18,000 meals, enough to feed 51 kids for 1 whole year. That's really amazing when you think about it. And overall cost was under $5,000. I can't wait to do this again. It is a really good feeling when you are done. I have a ton of respect now for those involved making this happen for 5 shifts a day 6 days a week read more

Feed My Starving Children - We got to sample the food we prepared. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Coon Rapids, Minnesota

A great place filled with amazing people! This organization does such an amazing project of feeding children in need all over the world! It is super easy to set up volunteer time and they have a parking lot! read more

I'll have to be naive to give this organization anything less than 5 stars. It's not about the place, its about the purpose. The purpose is to give meaning to human life. Its about caring for children around the world. This organization provides food for children in over 66 countries who have no idea when/what their next meal is going to be while you and I are in a dilemma of choosing between Italian and Chinese cuisine for dinner. FMSC is a great place for a group of people to volunteer for a couple of hours on any chosen day to help pack food (rice, soy, vegetables like Kim R mentioned in her review) to be sent to children in need across Africa, Asia and South America. Our team, Twin Cities Owls, volunteered at FMSC this past Saturday between 7pm and 9pm. There were about 130 volunteers that night, mostly teenagers. Anne, who works at FMSC, explained to us about the organization and its commendable reach. She was very passionate about the kind of work the organization does and answered all the questions the volunteers had asked to the best of her knowledge. Each volunteer can choose the kind of activity s/he would like to do and would be assigned to that particular task. The task is easy, fun and the kind of people who you meet there are very friendly. Anne showed us videos of the organization's efforts and the children benefiting from its work. Also, she ran some numbers for the volunteers that night about our performance. She informed us that in the last 5 years of her association with FMSC she has never seen such good numbers. We packed much more food than any of the groups on any given day. All 130 volunteers (including 9 from my team) packed enough food for 116 children for 1 year. That's a record I want everyone to beat so more and more food reaches the children who go to school in some countries just to get one square meal a day. The meal that my group had at Olive Garden (less than 1/2 a mile from FMSC) later that night was the most "satisfying" and rewarding meal we have ever had. I think Yelp could organize an event here soon to make a difference in hundreds of kids around the world. read more

I went here to volunteer with my job, it was a team building day and this was our activity rather than sitting in a meeting room. I wish we did things like this more often. It was great to volunteer here and all the people who work here are awesome. The work you're doing when you volunteer here isn't hard at all - it's just a bit time consuming and repetitive, but trust me - everytime you stop and think about how your arm or something is tired from doing your task, you instantly realize that what you're doing is for something SOOOO much bigger than you. It definitely puts things in perspective. If you're looking for something to volunteer at, definitely check this place out. read more

#dogood #makeadifference #comehere this place is great for solo or group ventures of wanting to get hands on and do good. They got a great mission, great story, and they share it well. Here's the scoop: Thumbs up: -multiple locations across the nation for convenience, I believe there are 3 in MN -Easy, no fuss sign up, online done! -Easy access and parking available -They provide everything you need (hair nets, etc) -Quick simple instructions, it is using the K.I.S.S. method to the fullest -Friendly VOLUNTEERS run this place -Storefront with goodies you buy to give back-boom dollar power! -You get to sample the food you are helping to prep for the world -They make it fun, simple, and exciting to pack food for folks -It's all in the stats-you get to see your impact right after -There's a job for those who aren't able to stand; accommodating Thumbs down: -give this charity more funds to do a great job! I say visit this awesome non profit! They know what they are doing and they have a great mission! Go non profits! read more

Volunteering made SO easy! This non-profit Christian-based organization has perfected service efficiency. The process is an assembly line set-up for packing, sealing and boxing 'manna packs' of rice, soy and seasoning that is shipped to starving communities around the world. Specifically engineered for malnourished and starving bodies, once cooked, this mixture is formulated to kickstart metabolisms and ensure absorption. This organization ships to many countries with which the US does not have amiable relations. In spite of this fact, over 98% of the packs shipped actually get to their destination! What makes this such an amazing use of your time? They are amazing at accomodating groups. When volunteering for work, recruitment of approximately 120 volunteers packed enough meals to feed over 300 kids one meal a day for a YEAR. And we did it in under two hours. When participating, you will be greeted by exciting staff who will hip you to the purpose and the process for about 20 minutes. Then you'll remove your jewelry (FDA-regulation), wash your hands, put on a hair net and get to packing! You'll do so for about 1.5 hours. I can speak from repeated experience that this will be one of the quickest 1.5 hours you will ever pass volunteering. They play music in the room while you're packing and you're chatting and mingling with fellow volunteers. Once done, you'll return to the main room where they will tally your hard work and tell you what country will benefit. FMSC makes volunteering fun, easy and SUPER efficient! So rally up some friends and family and pay it forward! read more

Feed My Starving Children is an awesome organization where you can volunteer to pack food that will be shipped all over the world to feed starving children. Gather a group of 10 or more for a rewarding two hours. The work is easy, fun and you know that you are doing something to help those less fortunate. All you need to do is package the food, which consists of soy, rice and vegetables in a sealed bag. This is a great way to help those in need. You can even host a birthday party here. read more

This was truly an eye opener. Very humbling to say the least. The staff was extremely friendly. I did not feel guilted into donating in the end. I was inspired, rather, and wanted to donate. This is a noble cause, and I commend everyone who participates, especially the staff. read more

Feed My Starving Children - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Coon Rapids, Minnesota

What a great organization and such good work! We were visiting family in MN when we decided to volunteer here with our niece, nephew, and SIL. What a great time. Basically, you put food in bags to send to children. There are 4 ingredients that go in a bag and in the station you fill the bag, weigh it, seal it, and box it. The staff really created a fun working atmosphere where kids and adults were excited to help. We had a little competition to see which station made the most bags. Afterwards, we cleaned our stations and those who wanted to participate, went back to the warehouse and prayed over the food. We had tears in our eyes when a little boy (maybe 9) prayed for safe arrival for this food for kids that could be his very age. Very powerful. This was a great experience, for all ages and a great way to give back. Thank you to this organization and I look forward to volunteering again when I am near a location. read more

I've done Feed My Starving Children several times, whether it be with my prayer group all the way to back in high school for NHS service hours. Overall, this is a great organization and provides a good volunteering experience. I went back recently with a friend and we had a great time volunteering. It's open to people of all ages, so the volunteer group greatly varies. There were a lot of volunteers when we went and the groups varied from high schoolers to families to a group of frat boys. The place is very organized in terms of jobs and roles for volunteers. Everyone is put to work, which I appreciate. The place is a little cheesy, including optional prayers (but with it being a Christian organization, it's understandable). It's great that we help people when we're volunteering at FMSC, but it's definitely a self-fulfillment type of experience. read more

Just came back from Feed My Starving Children. I've been there before, and Jill who works there is amazing! Shout-out to Jill! She's very enthusiastic and outgoing. read more

Such an amazing place doing so much good for so many. It's an altruism powerhouse. They are so amazingly organized that you can just show up with no experience and after a quick introduction, you're in the thick of things, cranking out pallets of meals for people all over the world. They even build in a bit of friendly rivalry, challenging your groups to finish faster and better than the other groups. It's a religiously-oriented organization, but you don't have to be a member of any particular faith community to lend a hand. i went as part of a Yelp-organized group and I would definitely go back. read more

What an amazing organization that is truly making a positive impact in the world! We took our youth group to go pack food there and it we couldn't have had a better experience. The process is super easy and quite enjoyable. I'll definitely be going back many times in the future! read more

Our department at work picked FMSC as one of our volunteer outings this year. I felt it was a well run organization from start to finish. They start out with a short briefing to get you in the right mindset and really make you understand what you'll be doing and how it will benefit someone in need. The work is pretty simple and encourages teamwork to operate like an efficient machine. Basically you package and box meals to be sent to a community in need. At the end of the session, they review the numbers and tell you how many meals you prepared and how many children you can feed. They really make you feel that you're making an impact even though you only work for 2 hours. Our group was able to pack enough meals to feed 24 children for 1 year. I would recommend this organization if you are looking for a great volunteer opportunity. read more

This place is absolutely amazing. What else can I say? Huge groups of volunteers get together and feed starving children all over the world. This is a Christian organization but you don't have to be Christian to participate and you don't have to be Christian to receive the food. read more

It's a great time serving with others to help kids around the world. Every time I go, the experience is top notch. They do a great job explaining what you're going to be doing. The packing process is such a fun atmosphere. I find myself getting really competitive and that means more boxes packed! And the fact that they stick to their values is extremely admirable. They do a great job making a change in the world with a sound mission. read more

I enjoy helping out such a wonderful cause! I believe we should have a feed my starving children in every city as well as offering the purchase of these foods to donate to our local food shelfs. read more

The best place. You feel amazing after helping out!! We come every month now! Tuesday nights see RICHARD!