Minnesota Sailors Volunteer at Charity to Help Children around the World

By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Susan Hammond, Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs

CHANHASSEN, Minn. (NNS) -- Twin Cities Sailors prepared food at a warehouse operated by the Minnesota charity Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) July 19 during Twin Cities Navy Week.

Sailors, along with 40 additional volunteers, packed rice and protein meals for children around the world.

FMSC is a non-profit organization distributing through missionary partners millions of meals each year to orphanages, schools and relief centers. In 2010, FMSC will prepare 127 million meals to feed children in 60 countries.

Twin Cities Navy Week gave the public a close-up look at what Sailors do throughout the world. The Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO), Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Minneapolis and Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Minneapolis will participate with the Navy Parachute Team "Leap Frogs" and Navy Band Great Lakes "Horizon" to showcase the Navy July 17-24. Twin Cities Navy Week is taking place with the 2010 Minneapolis Aquatennial. It is one of 20 Navy Weeks being held across America in 2010.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to be part of this project," said Personnel Specialist 1st Class Sharla Jackson, NOSC Minneapolis. "It's fun watching the kids!"

FMSC accommodates volunteers from age 5 to 85. FMSC trains 60 volunteers per session, five sessions per day, six days per week. The other five FMSC packing sites in Minnesota, Illinois and Arizona can accommodate 100 volunteers per session.

"This is a hands-on endeavor," said Lois Long, a FMSC team leader. "They have an investment in the time. It's not just an envelope in the mail."

Sailors worked alongside the children, scooping rice, weighing and counting packets, refilling bins and sealing boxes. In two hours, more than 11,000 meals in 53 boxes were prepared for children around the globe.

Navy Week includes demonstrations by the Navy Parachute Team and performances by the Navy Band Great Lakes. Interactive displays, including the Navy Simulator will feature live-action Navy films programmed to move in sync with point-of-view imagery, at a variety of locations. The schedule also includes civic, corporate and educational engagements by Vice Admiral Jay Donnelly, Commander, Submarine Force, and Rear Adm. Buzz Little, commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command.

Twin Cities Navy Week concludes July 24 with a performance by the Navy Band at the Xcel Energy River Bash on the Minneapolis Riverfront.