TAMIU MobilePack Collecting Donations through March for World’s Starving Children

Close to 600 Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) students and community members gathered for five, two-hour shifts to pack 540 boxes of 216 nutritious, medically endorsed meals for starving children in disaster-relief areas of the world during the University’s first ever Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) MobilePack held last weekend, Feb. 24-25.

A video of the TAMIU MobilePack is available here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IBkG-Hgud8

Volunteers packed a total of 116,640 meals, enough to feed 316 children every day for an entire year, said Dr. Tonya Huber, TAMIU professor of Education and FMSC MobilePack TAMIU leader.

“The event raised $15,566 of the $23,950 goal needed to pay for the meals,” she said, “Donations will be accepted through the month of March and can be cash, check made payable to FMSC, or online at https://give.fmsc.org/events/1702-279no-laredo-tx-texas-am-international-university-mobilepack/e98597, which is the link that ensures the TAMIU event receives credit for the donation.”

Huber said she and MobilePack leadership were both moved and impressed by the volunteer support provided by Laredoans of all ages, from the youngest, age 5 to high school and TAMIU students and groups of senior citizens, all banding together to support this historic initiative.

Primary Donors included Carl and Emily Sundbeck, Steve Williamson, Marty Speer, Chick-fil-A, Unique Nail Bar, H-E-B, Laredo Pizza Factory, and Coyote Howling Shop for a Cause, New Mexico.

At least 6,200 children die each day from hunger related causes according to UNICEF. TAMIU organized the event to bring awareness to this worldwide problem, Dr. Huber said.

Poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life can also lead to stunted growth, which is irreversible and associated with impaired cognitive ability and reduced school and work performance, according to UNICEF.

The event was sponsored by the CHANCE student organization and spearheaded by the TAMIU College of Education and Service Learning-Center.

Founded in 1987, FMSC is a faith-based non-profit organization providing nutritionally complete meals specifically formulated for malnourished children worldwide regardless of their nationality or faith.

In the past, packed FMSC meals have been sent to nearly 70 countries including the United States, Haiti, Sudan, Jamaica, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Tanzania, Lesotho, Liberia, Ghana, Guatemala, Malawi, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Cameroon, Niger, Colombia, El Salvador as well as to Hurricane Katrina victims in Louisiana, Mississippi and others, according to FMSC.

For detailed information about donations, contact Dr. Marcela Uribe, Learning Resources Coordinator, at 326.3135, email marcela.uribe@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in the Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center, room 223C. University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.