Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to seeing every child whole in body and spirit. This organization works with food distribution partners that stay within communities for the long haul, empowering them to move from relief to development! The meals are developed by food science and nutrition experts to supplement nutritional needs and reduce problems with malnutrition, which allows children to grow, thrive and develop to their full potential. Through Empowerment of Communities FEEDING KIDS AND SPIRITS
Raising Thankful Children A DAILY DOSE OF GRATITUDE
Their process is quite simple; donations from people like you help fund the necessary meal ingredients! Volunteers then hand-pack meals, which are donated to FMSC food partners around the world.
Most parents want their kids to view Thanksgiving as a meaningful event — not just an opportunity to indulge in turkey and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, most kids’ eyes will glaze over when their parents launch into a lecture about thankfulness. You will likely find better success by emphasizing the value of gratitude all year long. “What do you say?” is a question we all ask our young children after someone does something nice for them. This practice instills good manners, but should not be confused with teaching gratitude. Imparting the meaning behind the words “thank you” takes something more. If you want grateful children, you need to be grateful parents. Consider how you can incorporate gratitude more into your everyday life. Are you as thankful as you should be? Do you repay favors and write thank-you notes? Do you regularly talk about why you are so fortunate or why you are thankful? Cultivating gratitude in your life sets a good example, and many studies show benefits to your mental health. Next, reflect on how you can encourage your child to consider for whom they are grateful. Acts of kindness and returning the favor to those who have been good to us can inspire kids to put their gratitude into action. Doing some yardwork, sharing a toy, or making a painting as a gift can help children understand the power of outwardly showing our gratitude for other people.
Your financial support makes continuing to provide hope and a promise of a wonderful future possible for children worldwide. Each meal costs less than a quarter to make, and more than 90% of the total donations
go directly toward feeding children.
A single meal that a gracious volunteer hand packs brings us one step closer to ending world hunger.
We became involved with FMSC through our local church, Cross of Christ, when we hosted an annual packing event for several years where they brought a semi-trailer truck full of materials to pack meals onto our church campus. Now that FMSC has a warehouse space in Mesa, our church sends groups to pack meals, and our real estate company, Realty Executives, has our annual holiday packing party at the FMSC Mesa warehouse. Packing meals for children overseas is such a joy, and what an amazing feeling to realize how many meals you can provide with just a couple of hours of your time! We highly recommend FMSC if you are looking for a team-building event or service project.
Consistency is the most crucial factor; try to find ways you can incorporate gratitude into your everyday routine. Children of any age can keep a gratitude journal with their parents’ help. Some families also use a gratitude jar where each family member can write for what they are grateful on a slip of paper and add something different to the jar each week. What a perfect way to keep gratitude front and center.
These lessons may not sink in immediately, but by cultivating these positive habits in our everyday lives, you will see a big difference in the long run.
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