Pinecrest Family Mission Project Draws More Than 750 Volunteers

More than 750 Pinecrest students, families, faculty and staff, served together on December 11 at the Feed My Starving Children® MobilePack Event at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.
Feed My Starving Children® (FMSC) is a Christian non-profit organization committed to feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit. Children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children, and FMSC ships these meals to distribution partners. Meals have reached nearly 70 countries around the world. The boxes of goods packed by Pinecrest families will go to Haiti and Nicaragua, locations that many students and parents have participated in direct missionary work.
 
Kathleen Nichols and Pinecrest parent Anne Rice, organizers of the project, hoped to get 700 to sign up, and were amazed that more than 750 volunteered to give up their Sunday afternoon, don blue hair nets, roll up their sleeves, and pack rice meals.
 
According to Lisa Stueckemann, Feed My Starving Children Development Advisor, MobilePack, Pinecrest put together the largest volunteer group that FMSC hosted for the MobilePack event over the weekend.
 
In a two-hour period, the Pinecrest team packed 990 meal boxes, equating to 213,840 meals. These meals will feed 585 children for a year! Ms. Stueckemann shared that the Pinecrest team packed more meals than any other session during the MobilePack event over the weekend.
 
Prior to the packing event, students held contests to see who could raise the most money for the cause. Lower School students completed chores at home and practiced good behavior to earn quarters to fill M&M'S® Candy Tubes, while Middle School students competed with a very strategic ‘Coin Wars’ initiative.
 
Parents were invited to drop off checks and make online donations on behalf of Pinecrest Academy to help pay for the food being packed by our group. To date, well over $9,000 has been raised!
 
High school students viewed short stories about children served by FMSC before the event, and were also invited to sample the food that is sent to these children and their families.
 
The entire Pinecrest community regularly prayed for the children who would be receiving the packed meals.
 
It was a blessing to have children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings, teachers, priests and consecrated women, all volunteering together in a spirit of true servant leadership. There were many beautiful stories that came out of the day’s project.
 
One, in particular, as shared by Kathleen Nichols, was about a grandmother from Vietnam who served on Sunday with her children and grandchildren. She was very moved by the experience, commenting about how she didn't have enough food growing up, and how beautiful it was to see her grandchildren helping children in situations similar to what she lived through as a girl.
 
And the Rosales family came to serve, even with Mr. Rosales being in the hospital, recovering from a serious and urgent illness. His upgrade out of the ICU inspired his family to make the trip to the Galleria to serve with their Pinecrest family!
 
Fr. David Steffy, LC, served alongside families on Sunday, and commented, “Pinecrest was humbled to not only provide volunteers, but to also spiritually and financially contribute to the relief effort of Feed My Starving Children. For this privilege, we are grateful.”
 
Kathleen Nichols commented, “This family mission project has mobilized our school apostolic spirit, as we seek to transform society with goodness, in service and charity.”
 
Families who were unable to attend the MobilePack event but would like to help Feed My Starving Children® through a financial donation are invited to click here to make a donation on behalf of Pinecrest Academy.
 
A very special thanks to Mrs. Anne Rice, long-time Pinecrest parent, who lovingly spearheaded this project, and through her many efforts, helped bring our community together for one of the largest apostolic projects ever!