WHO Radio’s Van and Bonnie show broadcast live from Lutheran Church of Hope during the 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. shift while volunteers packaged the meals containing rice, vitamins, soy protein and dried vegetables.

More than 5,900 volunteers have registered to package meals throughout the week working toward our goal of packaging 2 million meals for Haitians. Originally, we were hoping to raise enough in donations to fund 300,000 meals. In just five weeks, individuals, churches, schools and businesses have raised enough funds to purchase the raw ingredients for volunteers to package as many as 2 million meals!

If you are still interested in volunteering, there are still open spots for host volunteers. Click here to learn more about host volunteering and available shifts.

We cannot thank you enough for all of your encouragement and support as we work to feed the hungry! God bless!

In just 30 days we have surpassed our goal of raising funding to package 300,000 meals for those suffering from the Haiti earthquakes to six times that.  YES! Thanks to our volunteers and Meals from the Heartland, the Help for Haiti event will be able to package 1.9 million meals!

Here is some of the media coverage from the local CBS affiliate, KCCI, that talks about Help for Haiti and the strides we have made in accomplishing this feat.

While Meals from the Heartland has worked hard in getting the word out, we do want to thank those that have helped with personal efforts.  We have seen everything from schools and social clubs to churches as well as our voice carried through social media to get the masses educated and motivated.  We can’t thank you enough.

Remember, the event is less than a week away and we could still use donations and volunteers.  To donate, please click here and submit your information.  If you would like to set up a team to package next week, please click here.

Thank you so much for your effort and your generosity.

God Bless!
The Meals from the Heartland Team

The annual Meals from the Heartland event normally requires 9 months to a year to plan; we’re planning Help for Haiti in just 6 weeks. In that respect, we thank you for your patience while we fundraise, order food items, plan packaging shifts and coordinate volunteers. We understand that you feel the call to help, and we are doing all we can to create that opportunity.

We will soon be opening up registration for packaging volunteers, but in the meantime want to answer some of the most pressing questions about the event.

Online Registration:

Online registration will open Monday, February 8 for food packaging volunteers. If you would consider volunteering for a host or other volunteer positions (not packaging), online registration is now open (here).

Event:

The Help for Haiti packaging event will take place February 22-23 and 25-27. During that week we will package as many meals as possible.

Volunteering:

We will need volunteers to package meals, as well as host volunteers who are responsible for registering packagers, filling ingredients, etc. For more information about these positions, please click here.

Location:

Packaging will take place at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines. We are also exploring a second site for additional packaging, but will have more details later.

Training:

There will be two training sessions at Lutheran Church of Hope for all Host Positions:
In the Chapel on February 20th and 21st from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

Shifts:

We are unsure at this point how many shifts will be available since we’re still taking donations and ordering supplies. However, we do know that shifts will be 1 hour so that we can provide the opportunity to package for as many people as possible.

NOTE: Unfortunately, we will not be to “hold” packaging slots or reserve tables for groups. If there is not enough space to accommodate your entire group, please remember that there will still be a need for help for the Meals from the Heartland annual packaging event, September 2-5 this year!

Mobile Packaging:

Meals from the Heartland now offers the opportunity to host on-site mobile packaging on a year-round basis. If you’re a church, school, business or another organization that has raised money and has the space to package, we’d be happy to work with you! To learn more about how to bring the mobile packaging unit to your location, please contact us at support@mealsfromtheheartland.org.

Donations/Fundraising:

If you are interested in donating to Meals from the Heartland, below are some ways you can help:

• Donate here online. Remember, one meal costs just 15 cents, so $50 feeds 333 hungry children
• Purchase your groceries at any Fareway store in Iowa and donate $1, $5 or $10 to go to Meals from the Heartland to package meals.
• Attend “Hearts for Haiti” this Friday, February 5, where all proceeds go toward packaging meals for Haiti. You can get more details here.
• If you have more fundraising ideas, please contact scott@mealsfromtheheartland.org.

We will continue to update this blog with information concerning the event as information becomes available to us. We are forever grateful for your interest and commitment to Meals from the Heartland and look forward to your help as we provide Help for Haiti.

Pray, Serve, Give,
The Meals from the Heartland Team

* The Help for Haiti packaging event will take place during the week of February 22
* During that week we will package as many meals as funds allow
* Packaging will take place at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines
* Teams of 8-10 individuals will work in 1-hour shifts to package the meals
* Once completed, meals will be shipped to Haiti as soon as possible for those affected by the earthquakes

PLEASE REMEMBER: We are overjoyed with the overwhelming response of people who would like to volunteer. The number of meals packaged will depend completely on funding we receive until then. If you are interested in donating to Meals from the Heartland, below are some ways you can help:

* Donate here online. Remember, one meal costs just 15 cents, so $50 feeds 333 hungry children
* “Scan Away Hunger” and donate $1, $5 or $10 when you purchase your groceries at any Fareway store
* Attend “Hearts for Haiti” this Friday, February 5, where all proceeds go toward packaging meals for Haiti. You can get more details here.

We will continue to update the blog with information concerning the event as information becomes available to us. We are forever grateful for your interest and commitment to Meals from the Heartland and look forward to your help as we provide Help for Haiti.

Meals from the Heartland has committed to help feed the poor any way we can, but we need your help. Please consider donating to Meals from the Heartland or another trusted organization. Below are some ways you can help make a difference with Meals from the Heartland.

* On February 5, “Hearts for Haiti,” a Valentine’s Day-themed benefit, will be held to raise money for Haiti earthquake victims. The event’s organizer, Olivia Ahlrichs, will donate all proceeds from the event to Meals from the Heartland. This money will go toward purchasing the supplies for packaging meals for Haiti. The benefit begins at 6 p.m. at the Copper Creek Golf Course Clubhouse, in Pleasant Hill.

“Hearts for Haiti” will feature a silent auction, light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, as well as entertainment by Mike Butterworth, lead singer for the Iowa-based band The Nadas, and Bonne Finken, fellow singer/songwriter. Valentine’s Day gifts in the form of chocolate covered strawberries, truffles and children’s tutu’s will be available for purchase and can be delivered to recipients on Valentine’s Day weekend. Tickets for “Hearts for Haiti” will be sold for $15 at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. You can also go here for more information.

* During the week of February 22, we will be partnering with Lutheran Church of Hope to hold a special Haiti food packaging event. While we are still in the process of organizing the event and will soon be asking for volunteers, please remember we can only package as much food as we have funding for, so donate today!

REMEMBER: Nearly $.95 of every $1 donated to Meals from the Heartland is applied directly to our mission. That $.95 is specifically connected to purchasing raw materials, assembling those materials into ready to eat food packages, and delivering those meals directly to those in need.

You can donate toward this cause here. We will package as many meals as we have funding for du

ring the event and all meals will immediately be shipped to Haiti.

Please consider donating your time and/or money to any of the above causes. The people of Haiti need our help now more than ever.

Thank you & God bless!

Joy In Hope:

Following is an email received on Saturday night from a missionary with Joy In Hope, a non-profit organization dedicated solely to working in Haiti, that received some of the food we packaged last fall.

“My name is Leann Pye and I am a missionary living in Jacmel, Haiti.  In December we were given about 100 boxes of food from your organization.  We were planning on using it towards VBS and a soccer tournament we had planned. However, as you know, an earthquake devastated many parts of Haiti.  Jacmel is one town that has been hit hard. The road from Jacmel to Port-au-Prince is impassible with cars, tap-taps, and trucks. There are no supplies coming in and we don’t know when the road will be fixed. We have been able to feed hundreds of people daily since the earthquake because of your food. I can’t express my gratitude enough.  May God bless you and your ministry.”

In a separate email that followed, Leann wrote:

“Please communicate to your supporters that Jacmel is one area that has been greatly affected by your food. We don’t know where we would be without it. Thank you and God Bless!”

Food for the Poor:

Food for Poor, based in Miami, is one of the groups we partner with to place meals throughout the world. Leann Chong, a member of their staff that we have been working with, was in Haiti when the earthquake hit. She was trapped in her hotel for 17 hours before being rescued, but was able to return to Florida on Monday (with leg and other minor injuries).  The Food for the Poor warehouse and feeding center in Haiti was damaged, but reopened Monday and was able to serve over 20,000 meals on its first day. Due to damage of Haiti’s port, Food for the Poor is currently directing shipments to the Dominic Republic, and is transporting food to Haiti by land.

Please check back often for additional stories of how Meals from the Heartland’s efforts are helping!

We are in the process of organizing a special Haiti food packaging event to be held in February. Funds are currently being raised so we can order ingredients and supplies to package and ship as much food as possible. We’ve received overwhelming response from people hoping to package meals – but please remember the amount of meals we can package depends entirely on how much money we raise to purchase ingredients. To put it into perspective: a $50 contribution will provide 300 meals, or enough food for 10 children for one month!

We will soon begin asking volunteers to sign up for packaging planned to start on February 22 at Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, and possibly other locations. Please continue to monitor our Web site for further details. If you were a team lead last fall, we may not have all of your team members’ email addresses. Please feel free to forward this post on to your teammates who helped package or friends and family to help us spread the word.

God Bless!
The Meals from the Heartland Team

Photo credit: www.guardian.co.uk

Our hearts are hurting for the people of Haiti. The earthquake and aftershocks have created devastation beyond our imagination. The loss of life is staggering, thousands remain unaccounted for, and hundreds of thousands need medical care, water and food.  They are at risk and in trouble, and their road to recover will be long.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. It is a country of 9 million people that geographically is slightly smaller that the state of Maryland.

Nearly 2 million of the meals packaged at last fall’s Meals from the Heartland were shipped to Haiti and distributed through two partners, Lifeline Christian Ministries and Food for the Poor.

What can we do… what can you do… to provide Help for Haiti?

Please pray, give and serve as Meals from the Heartland is turning all available resources to helping the people of Haiti.

Pray:

Pray for God’s comfort and love to bless the people of Haiti, that help would quickly come from around the world to help those in need, and that He would touch each of our hearts to know what we can do to help.

We are receiving emails from those in Haiti… following are excerpts from two:

“PLEASE PRAY: So many lives lost, so much suffering, so much devastation, and so much that is hard to understand. Yet in my 20 years in Haiti, I have learned that the Haitian people are resilient and although they have not seen this kind of destruction before they will rise above it. Today’s struggle is to provide water and food for the kids and to keep ourselves strong and not allow fear or discouragement to creep in.  “

“We don’t have supplies to treat all the people…they are coming here in large numbers with broken limbs and severe wounds… a man and woman came to me and said their little boy’s arm was cut off in their home when the wall collapsed.  He is 18 months old and all he had of a right arm was a stub above the elbow.  I had to dress it and use duct tape for a pressure bandage as that is all we have and then I gave him some sleeping medicine.”

Give:

Consider giving to Meals from the Heartland or another organization that you trust. Please see links for two of our partners below, Lifeline Christian Ministries and Food for the Poor.  There are many others who are providing emergency aid, including Red Cross and the Salvation Army. It is not important where you give, but that you do.

If you choose to make a financial contribution to Meals from the Heartland, your gift will go towards the purchase of food ingredients that will be packaged and shipped to Haiti as quickly as possible (please see “Serve” below), as Meals from the Heartland is diverting all of its resources to Help for Haiti. Nearly 300,000 meals of packaged food in storage are being redirected immediately, with transportation expected via a US C-130 cargo plane scheduled for Des Moines.

Serve:

Based on contributions received between now and February 22nd, your gift will support local efforts to package food that week.  Meals from the Heartland is partnering with Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines to package as much food as possible the week of February 22nd to send to Haiti. Watch for additional posts or please check backfor details on how you can sign-up to volunteer to package food.

Please remember, we are only able to package and ship food to Haiti that we purchase in advance, so your tax-deductible gift is important.

Please pray, give and serve…
Thank you!

God bless,
Meals from the Heartland Team

PS: Following are two Meals from the Heartland partner organizations who are recipients of food we have donated to Haiti… Lifeline Christian Ministries: www.Lifeline.org; Food for the Poor: www.foodforthepoor.org

Isaiah 58:10 “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble.  Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.”

Mark Aeilts Talking About Haiti on Lite 107.1

We’d like the thank Lite 107.1 for the time and letting us use this segment on our Web site.

If you would like to help Meals from the Heartland and Lutheran Church of Hope with “Help for Haiti,” make sure you click here for more information.

Please check back for additional details.

Mark Aeilts and local school children - Haiti 2008