I volunteered here with a group from work, and somehow they managed to trick a room full of adults into happily working an assembly line for an hour. The secret? A great cause, awesome people, and a playlist of absolute throwbacks. At one point, there were 30 grown adults singing way too confidently to songs none of us had any business knowing every word to. Productivity remained surprisingly high. In all seriousness, it was incredibly rewarding knowing the meals we packed will help feed children around the world. It's one of those rare volunteer opportunities where the hour absolutely flies by, and you leave feeling like you genuinely made a difference. The staff keeps everything moving, everyone is welcoming, and the atmosphere is upbeat without ever losing sight of why you're there. Highly recommend it. Come for the volunteering, stay because apparently you're the lead singer of a 2000s cover band whenever a throwback comes on. read more

Feed My Starving Children - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

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Feed My Starving Children is a wonderful place to volunteer because it is open to anyone ages 5 years and up, is open regularly, and does not have any time commitments so you can go when it fits your schedule! I have been volunteering with "FMSC" for over 13.5 years. I go with my gym mates, my relatives, friends, co-workers, etc. You have to wear a hairnet, and take off all jewelry, and keep your hands clean, but that is minimal compared to what the kids you are helping face. You scoop vitamins, veggies, soy, and rice into bags, seal them, box them up, and have a wonderful time doing so! The music can be great and fun, one time I was volunteering and they did music trivia while packing. At $0.29 a meal, both your time and [voluntary] donations are being maximized! The organization is based in Christian values, but the prayer at the end is an invitation, not an obligation, so I appreciate the inclusivity. There is also a MarketPlace where you can purchase items that provide for the artisans that make them. My most used item is a clay mug from Haiti. The kids used to eat the clay, but now the artisans use it to make items. If you're on the fence, I suggest you give it a try! It's a couple of hours in your day and the most fun I can picture having in a latex free hairnet! read more

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Without a doubt one of the best volunteer based opportunities around. So much you can accomplish with the time frame given. Always great to see people of all ages participating. Our small group has made it a yearly thing to go and do this. The workers they hire are always super warm and welcoming. Its an enjoyable process all around. I do want to mention that it was a bit unfortunate the last time we went to see the teenagers that came just to fulfill their community service hours be so disrespectful. They were chatting and messing on their phones at the end when the staff leader was telling how much we packed. He literally had to pause to tell them to be quiet. Regardless, a joy of an experience and super fun to do. Thank you FMSC for blessing the world with these opportunities. read more

Feed My Starving Children - Great work by all! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

Turn Hunger into Hope! That's one of their modos, but you have the opportunity to help by either making a donation or volunteering your time. I've been to their location in IL a couple times to volunteer in helping pack food that will be shipped to locations where children are starving and hungry. It's a great cause for little people that simply can't help themselves. Do what you can to get involved! read more

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What a fabulous organization and the perfect opportunity for kids ( ages 5 and older) and adults to volunteer and make a meaningful impact. I brought my daughter and a few friends here today to volunteer as they had the day off of school and wanted them to give back in some way to the community. Our group was assigned a station where we filled bags with soy, dried veggies, and grains . Weighed the bags and sealed them to be packed in boxes and shipped thro if hour the world to the neediest countries where children are actually starving. The experience was powerful. The instructions were clear and the event was organized and very well run. I will return to volunteer again for sure. Thank you to this organization for making such a difference in the lives of so many people ! read more

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Honestly, this should be like a perfect 5/5 since you're doing something voluntary and it's for a good cause. It kind of makes you wonder about the people that give it like a 3/5 or 4/5, like they're rating a fast food joint. When you enter the building, you put on a hairnet and walk through the gift shop. Then, you're directed to a seating area where you check in for your group, put your belongings in lockers, and wait for the presentation. After the presentation, you can choose to help with the warehouse (you replenish any ingredients that the tables need), label, or pack. There were 8 of us so we did the packing. This lasts for an hour and you can see which countries the food goes to. All of the employees are very nice, no one acts all high and mighty. I think a previous reviewer doesn't understand sarcasm from one of the employees. read more

Feed My Starving Children - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

As often as we can we visit this place. It's so much fun to pack foods and help others while doing it. They set you up at stations with friends or soon to be friends. You perform your station task and pack as many boxes as you can. It's so much fun! One wish is they put sticky pads on the bottom of the bag sealer! We will be back soon! read more

Feed My Starving Children - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

I couldn't have imagined volunteer work for a charitable organization being this much fun. The highly motivated staff loves what they do and their enthusiasm is contagious. Religious or not, you will feel comfortable here ... and appreciated. FMSC's brand new facility is spacious, bright, well-organized, and squeaky-clean. Following a briefing in the lecture room, we washed our hands and fanned out to the work stations. Our team was assigned to bag rice-and-lentil meals destined for Peru and Mexico. Henry Ford would have appreciated this factory-style assembly line. After filling the first few bags, our routines became automatic and we didn't have to focus as intently on what we were doing. Volunteers circulated through the aisles, quickly replenishing supplies. We enjoyed lively music, conversation, and laughter. In what seemed like no time at all, the packing session was over. At the debriefing, we were astounded to find out how many thousands of meals we had assembled. Additional high marks for the retail store (which sells goods from the Third World countries that receive food donations) and restrooms (which, thankfully, are not Third World). We look forward to volunteering here again. read more

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This is a fabulous organization that offers so much more than meals to children faced with hunger issues. Feed My Starving Children (FMSC.org) is literally saving lives, every year, through their work. If you haven't volunteered at the new facility on Wiley Court in Schaumburg, check it out. It is absolutely beautiful with plenty of room to volunteer and abundant parking too. The staff here is very organized, caring and compassionate. They each have unique stories that drive their passion for what they do. It's a great place to volunteer with your work team, family or friends. You'll leave knowing exactly what your impact is and where the food you pack will go. Check out their global marketplace too for unique, handmade gifts that further help their mission. I work with a lot of non-profit organizations and this one is definitely one of the best you can support. read more

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Our company sponsored a company event at this place as a team building exercise. Was not aware that this was a Christian based organization until I got on the bus. I was a little concerned as I am not big on organized religion, etc. We got there and there was a big sign about feeding God's kids, so I was expecting a church service while feeding God's kids, but there was no service. We arrived at the location, where we were required to sign in and then place our belongings in a locker. The locker is small, one of those where you can create a four digit code to lock it. Once we were squared away, we got our hairnets and were lead into the warehouse. There were wooden benches for us to sit on and listen to a brief discussion about what we would be doing during our 2 hour session and who would benefit from it. Once that was done, we were told to wash our hands and begin the process of filling the bags that would be packed and sent to Cuba to feed hungry kids. The process is truly a team effort as it requires a coordinate effort to fill the bags that will be sealed. We had two people that were responsible for opening a bag and sticking it under the funnel while we had a person each on the powdered vitamins, dehydrated vegetables, dried soy and rice. The pack is then weighed and adjusted as needed with additional rice (380-400 grams), and then sealed and packed into a box after you have enough MannaPacks. With four of us dishing out the ingredients, we got a great rhythm going. We were singing to the tunes that they were playing (Beyonce, Paul McCartney and Wings, Michael Jackson, etc). We also had call and responses going as well. I was on rice, so I was yelling "When I say scoop, you say rice!". One of our packers was literally shaking his booty when KC and the Sunshine Band came on. The time when by a lot faster than I thought it would and when the leaders called time, we had packed 129 boxes, which worked out to 27,864 meals. We were very happy because our goals was to pack 60 boxes. We were also tasked with cleaning up our areas (sweeping, sealing up the containers of ingredients). After cleanup, you had the option to wait for closing speeches in the orientation area or you could pray over the MannaPacks. I opted not to stick around for the prayer, but quite a few did. I was very appreciative that when they said it wasn't mandatory, they meant it. Those of us that didn't do the prayer thing were able to go and take a load off on the benches and wait for the others to join us. At the end we got to sample some of the cooked product. I could eat this at home, but would add some salt and pepper and chicken to make a meal :-) My only caveat to this experience was that I wish that this food was going to some of our kids here in the US. I do get that there are kids overseas not getting a square meal, but I feel like we have not solved the problem over here as far as making sure all kids are being fed. But at least some kid somewhere in Cuba was going to eat and it was a great team effort on our part. read more

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Great family activity! It was fun! My kids liked doing all the different jobs. They play fun music while you make the food packs.

Great work is done at this facility. Building is new. Most staff are friendly with volunteers. This is a very noble mission by this organization. Grace and Annie (staff) are truly rockstars. The tasks at the packing stations are very repetitive but very rewarding when you look at the results. read more

I absolutely love FMSC. I love the people, I love the concept, I love to volunteer and I love to have fun while volunteering, is just a bonus! My very first experience here was when one of my Yelp pals, actually, invited me to join her here as this is where she would like to spend her birthday and our gift to her was us attending. I didn't even hesitate for a second when I received that invitation. I do want to mention that the location is difficult to find. It is at the Northwest corner of Remington and National Parkway. Entrance is on Remington and is one-way NORTH. The entrance to FMSC is the second door of the building on your left if you are following the rules of the one-way lot. The lot is a bit dark and I would suggest more lighting to the building management/owners. Not for me in particular but for all the businesses in this area. This is commercial location so the front area is small with a large warehouse space being the staging, packing and loading area. Ladies, put your hair up before you go, everyone will be required to wear a hairnet and even a net over facial hair, gentlemen. First, they will show you a quick instructional video of how to pack the food properly. Everyone has a task and you work closely together around a table. They play great music that us 30-somethings love. The teens all look at us like we're crazy but it's all in good fun as we sing along to songs from classic 90's movies and lame TV shows whilst we pack food to feed those in need all across the world from the US to Asia. Wear comfy shoes, bring your positive attitude, a friend, a little love and be ready to pack rice, soy, vitamins and dehydrated vegetables. They are a Christian organization but they do not shove this down your throat. After we are done packing and clean-up, we are given the opportunity to pray over the packed boxes that are packed during our session. Pray the food makes it to it's destination, pray for everyone handling it, pray for the children receiving the food. We watch a video of the kids receiving the food, they show us how many meals we packed and essetially how many children will be fed for a year off the food we had just packed. It's very, very cool to find out these details after a 90-minute session. I have returned a second time since my first visit and everything ran just as smoothly as my first visit. If I have one thing to say, it's that no one is there to greet volunteers and tell them what to do or where to go. I wish someone was at the front door to welcome vonuteers and give instructions (ie. wearing a hair net, where to check in, where to go once checked in). There is a little lobby where you can purchase items made by people living in different countries and the profits are used for food items and transporation of the meals to get to their destination or you can donate directly online or even with a credit card at the register. You will receive a receipt for your donation for tax purposes. We have 2 or 3 more events scheduled to return with friends and I can't wait! read more

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I came here last night and realized the review I wrote nearly two years ago was the only one that wasn't a five-star review! What!? I have no idea why that is, considering that I mention Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) to anyone looking for a cool place to volunteer. FMSC is definitely a five-star organization. Here's the deal: You show up at a random warehouse in an industrial park, put on a hairnet, watch some potentially tear-jerking videos about world hunger, and scoop raw food (vitamins, veggies, soy, rice) into bags (MANNA Packs) while dancing to music. And in less than two hours, you will feed about forty children for a year. Awesome, huh? I can't think of any other way you can help the world in two hours. You can definitely carve some time out of your schedule to volunteer, and have some fun while you're doing it! The music and the competitive spirit (each group/table tries to pack more boxes than the other groups) make the time go quickly. It hardly feels like you're 'working.' You are expected to clean up the area so it's ready for the next group, but even the cleaning up is fun! On your way out of the warehouse, you can purchase handmade items from the people being served or T-shirts to support the organization. Since it's a non-profit, FMSC relies on donations from volunteers -- $50 per person is the recommended amount although you can donate more or less. At 25 cents per meal, even a quarter is a cherished donation. The money goes directly to the food materials and children, so you don't need to worry about it getting lost in advertising or administration or anything. Also, since FMSC is a Christian-based organization, they do pray over the boxes of food at the end of packing, but you can skip that if it's not your thing. I respect this. read more

Feed My Starving Children - Donate! Buy a cool shirt. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

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Be prepared to leave informed and uplifted. This was an amazing experience that I'm so glad we got to share with our Girl Scout Troop. Their online sign up system makes it super easy to choose dates/times. The website does a great job of letting you know what to expect and what tasks you may be performing. When you arrive all you have to do is sign in on one of their computers, grab a hairnet, and grab a seat by the screen in the warehouse. They deliver a brief informative presentation and then it's time to pack meals. The assembly line system they have going is pure genius. There's a job for every age(over 5) and ability. Since they make this experience so fun and positive, those 2 hours fly by. Expect to move at a moderate pace and wear comfortable shoes. Afterwards there's another presentation that shows the difference the meals you've just packed make. This was an amazing way to help our Girl Scouts world view. read more

Feed My Starving Children - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

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A super fun way to give back to charity!! Packing meals with loud music, friends and a friendly, competitive atmophere!! read more

Feed My Starving Children - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

We decided to start an office tradition where we will volunteer somewhere to celebrate our 'workiversary!' Feed My Starving Children was where we chose to volunteer for our first endeavor and we will definitely be back. Their website makes it very easy to sign up and they had plenty of times so that we could find a time that worked for everybody in our group! Things were very organized and with all the different groups it made for a fun atmosphere that the two hours we volunteered went by quickly! Feed My Starving Children makes it so easy to donate your time and what they do to help the children of the world is amazing! Definitely get a group and help them out whenever you can! read more

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Been here twice now You volunteer to pack food to other children in 3rd world countries They are Christian based Food that gets dropped goes to farmers animals They no longer are at the schamburg location they got a new place couple blocks down! Everyone is friendly here read more

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We had a fantastic experience here. When I gave my time to feed my starving children; this made my heart full of love and great hope. My experience 'donating my time' was so smooth and organized; this made me want to be involved more here. I have heard a principle described: when you give 'your time' this psychologically makes you feel that you have a lot (and guess what; you will have a lot). read more

Great organization with a very important function in feeding those less fortunate around the world. A quick run down, they offer prepackaged meals to those in need that they pick and ship from this location. They run on volunteers and donations. For anyone volunteering, everything is laid out very clearly upon signing up. Typically they have two shift offerings that revolve around packing these meals, you will see many groups that sign up to do this. The time goes by quick and you're really helping to change someone's life. I've volunteered a few times at this location and I would encourage others to try them at least once. read more

I'm really enjoying the opportunity to go and volunteer and different organizations this one in particular was about getting meal prepped and packed and loaded to be ship to Nicaragua Today it was a full house it was over 160 volunteers and included my daughter and I a School Bus full of high school kids individual volunteers four loads of family everyone eager to lend a hand to help feed children who don't have the necessary resources that we often take for granted here in the United States I did Ponder a bit on why a place abroad and remote but when I think about the United States we do have more resources to get food we have food pantries we have public assistance we have money from the government we have money for the state if you have the drive and the desire then help is available but in these foreign countries they don't have any ate a lot of Aid comes from donations so this is christian-based which I loved We had a brief orientation along with the video showing us the before and after of children once they got the Manna which consisted of rice soy vitamins and vegetables within each packet We broke off and I group my group was only 4 of us so it was like a little bit of double duty at our station but we got everything done we had one person putting in the vitamins the vegetables next person put in there in the rice in the soy next person backing it up and going it the next person's chilling and getting it ready to be placed in the Box so it definitely is a team effort you're only as strong as your weakest link and we all work very well the music they played was what you pretty much here on your pop stations which really got the teams in the young people moving and with music can relax everyone and get them their mind off the task at hand was about 1 hour and 45 minutes of work we stopped and clean up our area We learned we incident the usual amount of boxes packed and prepared for shipment so we're really happy that we met the goal and exceeded I enjoy doing this with my daughter and I hope that she appreciates all that she has at her disposal all the resources that are available to her the fact that she's never missed a meal and to be humbled and very appreciative of the life she has been given read more

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Amazing experience!!! I was there as my company participated as a big group and we packed for Haiti. We started the orientation and brief story about the organization. Packing starts, they have 1.5 hour sessions or 2 hour sessions. I will say this volunteer event is awesome as you are doing it to help others in need such as kids all all over the globe. I cannot wait to do this again. I recommend getting a group together and doing this. It makes you appreciate more what you have. Kids of 5 years or older can pack. read more

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One of my favorite volunteer spots! It's unbelievable how doing something so simple (filling bags with food and packing boxes) can change multiple people's lives. This place ties together teamwork, motivation, and compassion. Everyone of all ages can enjoy volunteering here. I've been here for service hours throughout high school and college, as well as birthdays when my friends want to give back. The staff is extremely friendly and works well with kids to adults. You also get to see how many bags were filled and how many boxes everyone packed. You send the boxes to one country per volunteer shift. And you watch a video of someone whose life changed because of this organization. It's amazing! Please check out this organization and volunteer here! read more

Been meaning to do this for awhile! For those uninitiated, Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a Christian organization that helps feed children from impoverished countries by sending food that's packed by volunteers like me. These goods are flashed-dried or some powdered form, that I'm not all too familiar with. But when we packed, we packed, rice, soy, vitamin-powder, and such. At the front entrance of FMCS, there are baskets of unused hairnets to don on, computers to register, and lockers to put your belongings, and several merchandise you can purchase. Walk past there, you're inside the main packing area, which resembles pretty much a warehouse. Picnic benches on the right for orientation/debriefing, and then there's numerous stations throughout the warehouse. There's several sinks to wash your hands to your left; they preach cleanliness, which is good. Banners/signs hover on top of each station, signifying the kids of the country you're about to pack food for. We had Djibouti. Each station is broken-down by the following: 1. Ingredients 2. Funnel to dump ingredients to a bag 3. Scale to verify and weigh contents of bag 4. Sealer 5 Packager The overall process was pretty simple and pretty repetitive. I bought my 9 and 6 yr old and they had fun dumping the ingredients into the funnel. Music is pumped out so the atmosphere itself was fun, exciting, and rewarding. The whole packing process was roughly 75-minutes, with the rest of the time for prayer (optional) over the palette of boxes that was just packed and debriefing (this is where they tell you how much meals were packed, how many kids will be fed, etc.) BATHROOM REVIEW: Located near the front, there are two single-person bathrooms. Each had a toilet and sink. Everything was in working order, and very clean. Sit or squat? Sit! read more

The new location seem much bigger. The packing room looks the same size but definitely bigger orientation area and shop. Plenty of parking and while it's a bit out in the boondocks, it was easy to find and navigate to. Staff are friendly and professional. They eliminated the part where we had to wash the dishes - which took a long time before. Now volunteers just have to clean their packing area. read more

I'm not Christian. I don't know if that really matters or not, but just putting it out there. Anyway, I'm not Christian, and I didn't do any research on this organization before agreeing to volunteer with them through a UYE that Laura N. put together. So, I was a little worried when I pulled up to their warehouse and was greeted by a giant mural that said they are "feeding God's children hungry in body and spirit." Uh oh... I guess I was expecting that I'd be bombarded with Jesus and this 1.5 hour session that should be about doing good for other people would turn into a makeshift conversion opportunity for them. However, I was happy to to find that they do in fact focus on the children (Christian or otherwise), feeding them by packing MannaPacks, helping the disadvantaged communities from which they come, and volunteers coming together (regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof). We put on hairnets and started with an orientation about FMSC and what we would be doing - packing MannaPacks. Then, we were escorted to the packing floor and given a demonstration about how to properly pack. Someone opens a bag and sticks it under the funnel while another person puts in powdered Vitamins and dehydrated Vegetables. A second scooper puts in chunks of dried Soy and then a heaping helping of Rice. The pack is then weighed and adjusted as needed, and then sealed and packed into a box after you have enough MannaPacks. Packing meals was a bit awkward at first, but we quickly got the hang of things and worked like a well oiled machine the rest of the time there. They played some great modern and throwback hits to keep people jamming and the time flew by. I was really sad when they called out 10 minutes left and we wanted to keep packing when it was up. After cleanup, you had the option to wait for closing speeches in the orientation area or you could pray over the MannaPacks. I opted to stick around for the prayer, but I was very appreciative that it wasn't pushed on people and that those who didn't want to pray were specifically given a place to hang out so they wouldn't have to stand around feeling awkward. Our group leader gave us some more information about FMSC and explained again how they are a non-profit organization and that they pack the boxes of food using volunteers and use donations to ship them. You had the opportunity to donate money directly to the organization or you could go into their gift shop and purchase goods made by people in the communities which they are helping to feed. I think that is a wonderful deal and I really love that they are feeding the children and also helping their families and neighbors feel like productive members society by selling things they've made. Everyone's a winner! I had a great time and I would definitely recommend getting a group together and volunteering at Feed My Starving Children. I can't wait to come back and do it again. read more

Truth: over 6,000 children die everyday from hunger. In Djibouti, children are being fed mud cakes since they have no food. Within a few minutes of watching the orientation video, I was in tears at Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). Truth: you can make a difference by dedicating some free time. In two hours, our group provided food for 37 children in Djibouti, Africa that will last them a whole year. Whether your young and able or senior and retired, there is plenty of work for everyone regardless of your age or ability. Truth: a meal only costs 25 cents to make for FMSC. If you don't have time, you can make a donation. You can also sponsor a child by making monthly contributions where your money will go towards food, clothing, medicine, and education for organizations such as Compassion. May the Lord bless the children who are in need and the staff at FMSC. read more

Feed My Starving Children - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

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What organization packages meals for hungry children in Third World countries in a sanitary environment with various volunteers from all walks of life? ... Feed My Starving Children. I truly love this place. It makes volunteering a wonderful learning experience all while having fun. I have been volunteering for about three months. The sessions primarily consists of packaging Manna Rice bags (rice, soy, vitamins and veggies) that are boxed and then sent on to various countries. At the opening of each session, you sign in, put on your hair net and watch a brief video that tells you about the children that are serviced and the overall mission. You then wash your hands and line up by the packaging station. A demonstration is provided and then you are on your own. The music is cranked up and by the time you chat it up with your neighbors/group and hear a few favorite songs, time is up. And on an average night, you package at least 10,000 meals. Great place. Great cause. read more

Volunteering at Feed My Starving Children was one of the most fun volunteer events I have participated in. And not just being in the company of friends (it was UYE after all) or the fun mix of music they had playing in the background, but maybe because of the immediate sense of volunteerism it gave me knowing how many people our 1.5 hour session was helping. FMSC is a non-profit organizations where 92% of donations goes directly toward the food program. A single meal they provide only costs 22cents. 22 cents! So even if you can't donate your time, your monetary donation either directly or by purchasing some of the cool T's or crafts or coffee will go a long way. Your volunteer time starts with donning a hairnet. Everyone is rocking the hairnet when they're at FMSC! You sign in via their computers and then you are given a short video to watch about how much help they food packs (Manna Packs) help children. To see how quickly the Manna Packs help nourish the undernourished/starving its not hard to get teary-eyed. After the video, you get directions on how to fill and pack the Manna Packs. Soy, Veggies, Vitamins and Rice. It's a very nutritious meal and kinda tastes like a hearty oatmeal (you get to try cooked samples afterward). You also help clean up your stations afterward and then find out how many boxes your work produced. They play fun music overhead and there is a fun competitiveness in whose team packs more boxes. But all in good fun! When the team leader said there was only 5 minutes left, I wanted to keep packing! There were 75 people during our shift and we packed 19,656 meals. So amazing. FMSC is a great place for individuals, date nights, groups or organizations to volunteer a couple hours of their day. Just sign up via their website. FMSC is a Christian based organization and they do pray over the boxes afterward. They do invite anyone to pray with them, but if it's not something you want to do, they're ok with it too. No judging. It's all about giving with FMSC. They are all heart and are truly worth checking out. read more

Feed My Starving Children - The rice packs. Very nutritious--vitamins, veggies, soy and rice. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

Soo, this FMSC is a bit smaller - at least in terms of coat area and gift shop/availability of gifts - than the Aurora locale. Still, what they lack in those areas they make up for in terms of media (slide show with pictures and music, multiple videos I haven't seen). They have a giant world map (made of wood) that is really impressive not only as wall decor, but provides a good visual of the countries served (the ones in dark brown). But I digress - the point ISN'T entertainment or cushy accommodations - it's to feed some kids! A box of food (36 bags) costs $50. FYI, you're not expected to donate the whole amount, just what you can. I usually donate $10-30. I've had a good time at the packing sessions I've attended and we've obviously packed a lot of food for kiddos in Nicaragua and El Salvador. I've also learned about different Manna Packs (D and W). There's a great cork board with updates about food distributed to the Philippines. (I'd packed for the Philippines each time in Aurora, so it's nice to see the update.) The staff also maintains a bigger dry erase board that lists current packing records. It's fun to see your competition and try to surpass their goal! Oh, and the staff is very nice and also pretty funny! :) Unfortunately I do feel like - at least this last time - some important instructions were not communicated to other volunteers very well - such as ensuring no plastic gloves or other plastic bits get into the spilled food that goes to local farmers, and ensuring that the boxes were packed according to procedure/box diagram. Butttt I don't feel comfortable redirecting complete strangers. I am by no means an expert, so I just hope everything turns out well. Slots at the Schaumburg location seem to go pretty quickly, so you may need to plan in advance if you want a certain time frame! To sum, FMSC is a fun and easy volunteer opportunity that, IMO, everyone should participate in at least once! read more

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Great organization to support! My office team (group of 7-8) worked one of their sessions the other day, along with 50-60 others. It's a great opportunity for all ages. They'll breakdown the tasks via a video and there are people walking around to support you as well. I was very tentative about the whole thing as I usually do a different type of volunteer work... but this was perfect. I will be doing it again... even if it is just by myself. They had fun music playing, laughter throughout and you get to help out others. Sessions are around two hours, but it's less than that of actual work... if you're concerned. Favorite part is that at the end... they'll breakdown the data on how many people you just helped. Keep Up the good work, FMSC. (Oh, and it isn't just done at this location... it's National... so you can find a location closer to you!) read more

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Looking for a great team building event that also helps out those less fortunate? Then check out Feed My Starving Children. This Christian based organization puts together meal packs that are then sent all over the world to feed children who are not getting the proper nutrition. Located in an industrial park in Schaumburg , Feed my Starving Children uses volunteers to basically fill the food packs that are sent around. Having done food pantry work in the past- this is different. You are not putting food bundles together- rather you and your team are scooping raw product into bags, heat sealing them and packing them into cases for shipment. The product you make is a combination of rice, soy protein, vitamins and veggies. All put together by people. Could a machine do it faster and better? Probably- all of our business minds were creating a machine to do the repetitive work as we were individually handling each item, measuring and weighing, etc but machines cost money and volunteers are free. And this place has this down to a science with each group doing the work and then leaving the place clean and ready for those who are coming after. A couple of notes: if you go, know that all jewelry, including rings need to be left in your car. There is also no place to put your purses so leave those as well. Although at the end, they will sell you a t shirt or some other crafts that are made by the children you are serving so you are going to need some money or a credit card in your pocket or you can run out to the parking lot to retrieve your purse/wallet at the end. Also know that, as a Christian organization, there is some praying and acknowledgment to God but they handle it accordingly knowing that people have different faiths, etc. All in all a great way to give something back! read more

Finally got around to volunteering here. I volunteered once with FMSC in Coon Rapids MN, but never actually got to do it in my home state. A neighbor organized a packing and I think about 30 people from our neighborhood showed up to pack. It was the first time my kids ever volunteered and they are already asking to go back. I'm also in the process of organizing it at work for my entire team to go once a quarter. read more

I went to Feed My Starving Children this week to packs food for hungry children and absolutely Loved my time there. I made a reservation online a week before going, showed up on time and changed lives by packing food packages. The volunteer experience was for 1.5 hours and everyone picks a station and starts packing food. The whole group packed enough food to Feed 65 children for one year! Pretty amazing! Shows how well everything is organized. I will definitely be back. read more

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This is a really incredible organization. I've never had as much fun volunteering as I have here. You put on a hair net, watch a video about the food, where it goes, how to pack it, and how it helps kids grows. Then you pick a station and get packing! The group you're in picks something to yell for when you've completed a box and the music makes the 2 hours fun and really fly by. It's a lot of fun going in big groups because it gets competitive and you end up packing more boxes. At the end of the session everyone cleans up a bit then you watch a clip of specific kids stories with before and after photos. This is a great way to get involved and give back in a fun way. read more

Feed My Starving Children - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Schaumburg, Illinois

I love Feed My Starving Children. I am so impressed with them. I have packed food with groups at this location and the Aurora location. It is well run, and you always get a great vision for what you are about to do, and then they make you feel like superstars when you're done because they tell you how many children you fed for a year- it's incredible. What a great use of your time! They show you a video before and afterwards, and tell you where the food you are packing is going to go. At the end you can pray for the boxes and the children and families, or you can skip that part if you prefer. I find it so meaningful, start to finish. It puts things in perspective. Things are well-organized and explained and everyone plays an important part, whether you are labeling bags or scooping the food, weighing the bags, or sealing and packing them. And it's fun! They play fun music and get you motivated to pack fast. They have a great area where you can buy awesome t-shirts (I have way too many) and delicious fair trade coffee and other hand made items. I really respect this organization and highly recommend you sign up online to pack food and then bring along a donation to support the organization when you are done- I think they say every person packs about $50 worth of food so they encourage donations of that size or more, if possible, but they don't pressure you. Enjoy! read more

This is such an incredible organization - and I couldn't be anymore excited to share something bright for the Holiday season. I came to this location with my colleagues on several occasions through the summer weeks to Feed My Starving Children's last volunteer shift, around 7:45pm. (Tip: there's several times to choose from). When you walk in, there's nothing short of warm smiles from the staff members, and checking is in extremely easy with computers off the right with each name posted. You're provided a hair net for obvious safety precautions and greeted to take a seat inside. Before beginning, a short presentation showcasing the country you will be providing the food to, as well how to package the goods, is provided to every volunteer, (whether your first or fifth time). Everything is very straight forward and doesn't feel overwhelming, so if it's your first time participating, any sort of apprehension or anxiety is washed away. Afterward, you're guided to the sinks to wash your hands, which are directly underneath all the checks from the sponsors who have generously donated over the years. And then it's off to your loading stations - the number of members per table will be determined by how many volunteers are there that evening. So, for example, you could have three people as, "Scoopers," and two people sealing the bags. But regardless of whatever role you take for the evening, you're bound to experience positive energy. Alternative Rock is played on the speakers, and surprisingly enough, the two hours goes by very quickly. You can create team names at your station and once you fill up a box to be shipped out, you're allowed to shout the name. It absolutely is a team-building event that you will want to repeat. Before exiting for the evening, a prayer will be given as well as how many boxes were packed from every station - it's an incredible mood lifter and just another reason to return to a well-determined and undoubtedly successful Non-Profit. I would highly recommend FMSC to anyone who wants to do something tremendously encouraging and beneficial for families around the world. read more

I started volunteering in Schaumburg in 2013. My only regret is that I didn't know about this organization sooner. The new facility is great and they follow Covid restrictions The sessions are only 2 hours long however, so much gets accomplished and the time flies by. The staff is AMAZING! They are enthusiastic and make you feel welcome. I highly recommend this for families. Not only are you spending quality time together, you will be doing something good for others. They are open every day except Sunday and some holidays. You can reserve a spot online but PLEASE if you can't make it cancel your reservation so someone else can fill the spot. This is a Christian non profit organization and depends on volunteers. If you want to pay it forward try FMSC. You won't regret it. read more

Are you even allowed to rate a non-profit? :P My friend decided to have her birthday party here, and got about 50 people to participate (awesome, I know!) There are two time slots - 1.5 hr or 2 hrs. The employees are kind and knowledgable, and teach us about what we will be doing, the history of FMSC, and the reason we are doing this before we begin packing. I had such a great time during the two hours we packed meals for Haiti. In total, we packed 40,000 meals which could keep 111 children from starving during one year! Anyone from any religion can pack, as long as they are older than five years old. This would be a great teamwork event for any company or friends/family! read more

Wonderful organization with great attitudes! Well organized, good energy. If you are looking for a place to volunteer and help someone's life to be better, this is the organization that you may join or volunteer. read more