From left, volunteers Molly Bussard, Carrie Sexton, Kristin Johnson and Lindsay Gilliland pack baggage of meals throughout the Spring 2024 Slammin' Famine occasion at The Ranch in east Loveland on Feb. 16, 2024. The purpose of the 2024 spring packing occasion was to pack greater than 540,000 baggage of meals to ship to Feed My Ravenous Kids, who will then distribute them to kids in want world wide. (Austin Fleskes/Loveland Reporter-Herald)
1000’s of native volunteers have been assigned a purpose over a three-day interval that started Thursday and continued by Saturday: pack greater than 500,000 meals for youngsters in want.
Slammin' Famine returned to The Ranch later this week. The twice-yearly occasion options volunteers packing baggage of meals which are then distributed by Feed My Ravenous Kids, a nonprofit starvation reduction group, in line with the occasion's web site. FMSC has shipped meals to greater than 110 nations since 2009, together with 40 African nations, 16 Asian nations, eight South American nations, and plenty of extra.
“It's actually superb for us to see everybody collectively in Northern Colorado to unravel one thing as important as world starvation,” mentioned Eric Dowdy, co-founder of Slammin' Famine.
Within the 2024 spring packing occasion, 2,400 volunteers signed as much as pack Thursday by Saturday, with two-hour packing durations every day. The group's total purpose was to pack 544,320, and after two packing durations on Thursday alone, volunteers had packed greater than 140,000 baggage.
Co-founder Brian Zonnefeld mentioned Thursday evening additionally served as a serious milestone for the occasion, which started in 2015 when volunteers ready their 5 millionth meal, one thing Dowdy described as “surreal” after not being certain the place this system would go when it began.
“Right here in Northern Colorado, everybody desires to assist,” Dowdy mentioned. “There’s a nice urge for food and spirit within the Northern Colorado group to assist folks.”
The volunteers have been divided into numerous stations and jobs. This included folks labeling and getting ready baggage, folks pouring components into containers, and eventually, a number of tables of meal packers, all of whom packed every bag with rice, soy, greens, and nutritional vitamins earlier than weighing and sealing it.
And the work was not finished in silence. Overhead audio system on the Thomas M. McKee Four-H, Youth and Neighborhood Constructing at The Ranch performed hit songs as packers packed, scooped and packed pallets of ready meals for transport.
The groups labored collectively, singing, dancing and cheering as they stuffed containers with packaged meals. And whereas some attended the volunteer occasion for the primary time, others have been veterans who returned to assist for an additional yr.
A number of members of the Northern Colorado Girls's Council of Realtors have been among the many a whole lot of volunteers who labored from 10 a.m. to midday Friday.
Molly Bussard mentioned she had finished it earlier than and, when planning occasions for the council, thought it will be nice to get collectively as volunteers throughout the packing occasion.
“I had plenty of enjoyable doing it and we wished to volunteer our time,” he mentioned. “And I believed this was an effective way to do it.”
The brand new members of the group mentioned they have been having a good time, particularly with the pleasant competitors among the many many volunteers.
“It’s a must to sustain, the stakes are excessive right here,” mentioned Carrie Sexton, with an enormous smile as she packed her baggage. Nevertheless, she added that working beneath this stress is enjoyable.
“It's enjoyable to include competitors,” Sam Carlson added. “And it's serving plenty of youngsters.”
Not removed from the packing tables, volunteers collected the components included in every bag onto trays that have been introduced to every desk.
“It's improbable,” mentioned volunteer Jared Lindsey, who was there along with his household, as he scooped rice from baggage virtually as tall as he was.
“I'll be again subsequent yr,” mentioned Terry Whitlow, who was volunteering along with his household on behalf of Seven Peaks Academy in Windsor, including that it was additionally good train for his arms.
Zonnefeld and Dowdy agreed that the work had a number of optimistic impacts, from the worldwide stage of serving to finish starvation to the non-public stage of permitting residents to do one thing to assist others. The couple mentioned they hope the various volunteers will really feel so impressed that they may search out different volunteer choices all year long.
“On the finish of the day, that is one thing that’s effectively organized and helps the youngsters,” Zonnefeld mentioned. “(Volunteers) can actually have a worldwide influence.”
“The generosity of the individuals who give their time, their assets and their cash has blown us away,” Dowdy mentioned. “It has merely been an engine that continues to work. “We’re simply grateful and grateful to have the ability to come alongside for the trip.”