Feed My Starving Children

Madison and I got to go on a CyberSchool field trip last week to a great organization in Eagan, Minnesota called Feed My Starving Children.  

Anyone can sign up to volunteer.  Our church youth group has gone to Feed My Starving Children several times over the past few years, but this was a first time for Madison and I.  

We started out in the "classroom" where we were educated on the goals of the foundation, what was going into the meal we would be packaging, and exactly how the work would be done.  This kind man explained that the kids getting food, most of them are absolutely starving.  One bag we were about to pack was enough food to make 6 cups of prepared food.  One bag was enough to feed 6 people, each getting one cup of rice/ingredients a day.  He explained that while we might think one cup is not very much, most have been starving so long that their tummies can't actually handle a whole cup of food.  They may only be able to eat 1/3 or 1/2 cup for a while until their stomachs stretch and adjust to having food again.

Each bag got a scoop of vitamins and flavor, a scoop of dehydrated veggies, like potatoes and carrots for color and flavor, a coffee mug of soy for protein, and a coffee mug of rice for carbohydrates.

Everyone gets to wear one of these stylish hair nets.  

The level of organization and thought put into their process is commendable.  We watched a video that showed just what order to put the ingredients in, how to measure properly so that each bag meets the nutritional requirements and is packaged safely, complete with tips and tricks to make each station more efficient.  I am a freak about organizing large group projects and I was super impressed!

Each volunteer had a spot.  Each station could function with 6-10 people.  In addition to the video we watched before coming into the packing room, there were laminated cards everywhere with instructions just in case someone forgot or didn't listen.  Once we started packing, we were a flurry of excitement for an hour.  Little guys were passing quickly through the isles refilling soy and rice constantly.  Our group here worked pretty quickly and we never had the chance to run out of supplies.  

Bags were opened and placed on the funnel, scoops of vitamins, veggies, soy and rice were added.  Each bag was weighed, sealed, then packed by 36 into boxes.  The goal is one box per volunteer by the end of an hour.  We had 90 volunteers that day and we managed to all pack 144 boxes of meals.

I was also amazed to see a table or two of special needs volunteers.  It warmed my heart to see an organization not only ready to accommodate 90 or more unskilled workers, many there for the first time, but also with a plan in place for volunteers with special needs.  They were able to dig in and participate, leaving with a feeling of accomplishment.

So our 144 boxes of packages would provide 30,240 meals to children in the Dominican Republic.  Isn't that great!  They can even tell us exactly where our food will go and when it should get there.  Those packets are enough to feed 83 children for one year.  

The ingredients from our one hour of work cost $6,653, so Feed My Starving Children relies heavily on the kindhearted donations of people around our blessed country.  We are lucky enough to live about 10 minutes from the warehouse, but Feed My Starving Children will come to you, bring all the supplies and equipment necessary for your group to participate in the effort.  They have a minimum amount of money that must be raised before they come, but they will come.  

One sister from our congregation talked about her mom's experience with the organization out in Southern California.  She told a few ladies about it and they all wanted to participate.  They held community fund raisers, raised $150,000 and Feed My Starving Children came to them in Southern California with all the supplies and their stellar organization.  They had a packing event and the members of their community were able to package the food bought with their own money.  Pallets and pallets of food packets were distributed around the world thanks to the work of those good women, their community, and Feed My Starving Children.

There are multiple locations in Minnesota, Illinois, and one location in Mesa, AZ if you just want to schedule a visit.

I just can't say enough good about this group.  This is not a sponsored post either!

These are the bins of soy and rice distributed to each station and refilled constantly throughout the process.

These are the stations, just one row of stations where we worked.  After the work is done, any food that is spilled on the table is scooped into bins and given to a local hog farmer to use as pig feed.  I was super impressed at Feed My Starving Children's attitude toward their donated product.  They respect the donations given to them and go to great lengths to make sure no food is lost.  Not a crumb is wasted.  I was also impressed by motto, that we need to live on less so that others can have a little more.  We are so, so blessed here in America.  There is no end to our wealth.  Imagine all the good that can be done if we all consumed less and gave to organizations such as this.

Following the packing hour, all were invited to participate in a blessing on the food before it was shipped out.  We were given the choice to be there for the blessing or head back to the classroom area for the closing presentation.  

This is where we learned how many boxes we packed and how many children would be fed by our work.  Stories were shared, complete with photos of just a few children fed by the organization.  They come into a village for one year.  This little girl was 3 when they arrived.  She weighed 9 lbs.  Can you believe that!  A 3 yr old that weighs 9 lbs!

After one month she already had meat on her bones and her weight was up to 11 lbs.  You could just see the change in her face.

There is a gift shop next to the classroom where they sell goods from these countries they serve.  All proceeds go to more ingredients for more packets of food.

What a great activity for a field trip.  We met so many different people from all over Minnesota, all gathered together hoping to do a little big of good.  If you are looking for a worthy organization to serve, check out Feed My Starving Children.  They totally impressed me.  Their facility is clean, modest, but organized.  Every employee was anxiously engaged in the cause, kind, friendly, and totally approachable.  I just can't say enough about Feed My Starving Children!

Just A Thought

Last night I showed some ladies at church how to make Cake Pop Cones for a fun, creative little treat.  We had a fabulous, heart touching discussion on Creativity and how many different ways you can be creative, from actual art, to just how you face your day or motivate your kids. 

I saw this quote on the fridge while getting ready and just felt like it spoke right to my heart.

I teach the 14-18 year old girls at church practically every chance I get how important and precious they are to their Father in Heaven.  It has been a long time since my life allowed getting out of my own house and over brighten the day of someone else.  I totally feel like that is what I am missing right now.  I need to forget my own troubles and just help someone else's be a little lighter for a day.

I wasn't even intending on making these prints, but came across the picture as I was looking for something else.  Nothing really seemed as important right at that moment as putting these words to page.  I know they are nothing super artistic, but they are just what I need on my wall right now.  They are just on the blog in case you need them too ;0}

Forgive me for changing this up just a bit.  I wanted to express a bit more what crossed my mind when reading President Kimball's quote, so it isn't a word-for-word.

You can get at slightly-colored or black/white versions HERE in my Dropbox.

Giving Tuesday: NICU Ornaments

After my nephew Sawyer's stay in the NICU one year ago tomorrow, I have a very special place in my heart for those families going through the nightmare of a NICU stay.  I have actually witnessed several friends waiting with heavy hearts, watching their tiny little blessings from Heaven struggle for every breath.  Each time I found myself at a loss of what to do to ease the pain.

My sweet sister, knowing that the anniversary of Sawyer's NICU stay was coming up, asked if I would help her make some ornaments she could take up to Children's Hospital of Minneapolis to give to the families there.  Just about every day during her family's stay sweet gifts of comfort and community were dropped off at the nurse's stations to brighten the family's days.  

Kallie's family got just a glimmer of joy each day at the prospect of receiving the small gifts.  Even just that moment of happiness during the day of struggle was a relief.  Kallie really wanted to give that gift of joy to other families, and she thought these keepsake ornaments would be the ticket.

Knowing that not all babies are as lucky as Sawyer, getting to go home in the loving arms of his family, we didn't want to say "Ya!  You made it" or anything like that.  We hoped that this ornament could be a small, silent memory for those who lose their babies, as well as for the families that left the hospital triumphant.  

My favorite part of these ornaments is the small pair of footprints inside.  It is crazy to think, with the footprints being not even 2" tall, that some of those babies have feet smaller than the ornament's footprints themselves.

I love these sweet feet.  My little guy Sawyer, he was only two weeks early, so he had pretty average sized feet for a newborn, it was his lungs that were in such bad shape.

Anyway, forgive me if this post makes no sense at all.  There hasn't been much sleep this holiday selling season, but there have been many moments of weepy gratitude for all the joy granted by having Sawyer in our lives.  He is such a blessings from heaven and I am so grateful for the knowledgeable medical staff, the answered prayers, and the flat out miracles that made his life possible.  Thanks to the care he got in the NICU, today I get to hoist my little nephew into the air today, listen to his bubbly laugh and soak up his slobbery kisses.

I will say the smiles we got when we passed out ornaments in the NICU were wonderful! It was so nice to walk in with smiles instead of the tears from when I first stepped foot into the NICU. We got this comment from a recipient of an ornament:

 I was lucky enough to get one of these beautiful ornaments yesterday. Thank you so much it's

 something we will keep forever ! My little Evan was flown in the day before thanksgiving and it 

has been so scary being 3 hours from home. It was such a sweet thing for you to do !

How sweet of that mom to take time to say thank you too.  Poor thing.  We have been there, hoping and praying and we hope and pray for your little one too.

That leads me to the second ornament we made.  The NICU Graduate ornament!

Cute little Sawyer just touched our hearts when we got to bring him home.  Listen to me!  You would think he were my boy.  Well...he is.  It is funny how much you can love one little guy when he didn't even pop out of your own body ;0}  

I posted about Sawyer's story last year here at 

Babies and Blessings.

We had two weeks of torture, then months of cuddly bliss.

Even though this poor boy has spent many a day back in the hospital struggling from issues with his lungs, and is now on oxygen on a regular basis, we are so excited to think back to that day he got to go home.  This ornament is meant to be a keepsake for all those tiny little NICU uniform pieces.  The tiny hat, medical bracelet, etc. can all fit inside the ornament and be kept as a reminder of the triumph.

After all this little guy has been through, each smile is such a blessing to me.  I am totally excited to have made a sweet place to keep all those little things that remind me just how blessed we are.

I AM his favorite Aunt, you know.

Just sayen'.

Sorry everyone else!

Anyway, Thanks Kallie for letting me take part in your gift.  I am super excited it fell right on the calendar in time to participate in #GivingTuesday.  You can go here to find out more about that ;0}

I have had several people contact me and ask if I am selling these ornaments on my etsy site.  I am.  I try to keep things totally reasonably priced, and feel really guilty even mentioning that they are for sale, but mainly want to give a place for moms and others to find the ornaments if they want them.  You can email me at vanessa.cam5@gmail.com or visit my Etsy site, TheBubbleBox for more details.  I will have a brief tutorial posted just after this post for those that order just vinyl to make these ornaments.  Again, sorry for the sales junk here.  Selling them was not my intention, just a response to several requests ;0}

Need a service opportunity???  Call your local hospital to see if they have a NICU.  Those families, even though you will probably never hear from them, will hold you in a special place in their hearts for making the effort to bring joy and comfort to such a difficult time!

Walmart's Food Pantry Holiday Makeover

Want to make a difference this holiday season???

Don't have a ton of time or money to donate???

I just learned about the perfect opportunity for you.  Walmart has teamed up with TheMotherhood.com to spread the word about their Food Pantry Holiday Makeover campaign. Check it out...

Walmart's Food Pantry Holiday Makeover campaign is a nationwide campaign calling on the public to help support their local food pantries this holiday season. The campaign will provide $1.5 million in grants to winning food pantries for facility makeovers. They can use the grants to purchase items like new kitchen and storage equipment, furniture, paint, or other supplies that are needed to support food pantry operations and, in turn, the families they serve.

So I clicked on over to Walmart's Food Pantry Holiday Makeover page and found it SO EASY to vote.
I went to www.walmart.com/holidaymakeover and it looked something like this:

Now all you need to do is click on the bubble at the bottom of the page, the one in the green box, and add your state or location.  

I put my little MN for Minnesota in the box, hit enter, and my options appeared before my eyes.

To tell you the truth, I don't know much about any of the food pantries, so I just picked one that was close to me and clicked "vote".  You can see they have some videos you can watch down below the voting boxes.  

Don't forget!  You can come back and vote once in each 24 hour period until December 12th!!!

Serving in your community doesn't get much easier than that.

Don't forget to share all about it!  The more voters the merrier ;0} 

Feel free to use the hashtag #HolidayMakeover

The campaign will run online from Monday, December 2 (12:01 a.m. EST) to Friday, December 12 (11:59 p.m. EST). The 75 food pantries with the most votes at the end of the voting period will each receive a $20,000 grant. The winning food pantries will be announced on December 15.

Thank you Walmart and TheMotherhood.com for enlisting me to spread the word about your Food Pantry Holiday Makeover. It is so awesome to see large corporations taking the time to serve in our communities and making it so easy for us to join along!

***This was a sponsored post.  While I was compensated for my time and efforts to properly review the information presented, the opinions of the product expressed here were my own.

Champions For Kids Delivery!

Today was the day Emmalee and I delivered our school supply donations to the local elementary school.

We had a meager donation, but even our small stash was warmly welcomed and much appreciated.  The sweet receptionist said even one pencil helps one child.  And that is totally true.  Our school asked for enough pencils for all the kids in the summer school program.  They also said they run out of the 2 pocket folders every year.  Emmalee and I decided that was where we would focus our money.  I found the pencils at a steal of a deal at Walmart, and picked up the basic folders there for $.15 each.  Just to add some spunk, I added vinyl to the fronts.  I used permanent vinyl so hopefully it won't curl up and come off after the rough wear and tear that awaits them ;0}

I thought I would cut the letters out of white for the black folders, but when I went to put it on the folders I discovered it was not white, but CLEAR!  Ugh.  Well, we put it on anyway and just splashed on a spray or two of spray paint.  Once the vinyl was peeled back off we were left with this fun look.  Emmalee loved it so much she made me make her one too.

Finally the two of us finished the vinyl and went to bed last night.  Today we wrapped everything up and took it to the school.

This fabulous lady is the coordinator for the summer school program.  She was so sweet and gladly accepted our goods.  Emmalee loved knowing she was helping other kids get more out of school by giving them tools to learn with.

We also stopped by the local participating Walmart in our area.  If you want to know if your Walmart is on the list, you can find out HERE.  It took a bit of hunting to find the display...

But we found it!  The Champions for Kids display looks like this.  It is full of backpacks ready to purchase.  You can pick up a backpack, for only $19.97 at my store, and take it up to the cashier to purchase.  Once you have paid for it, there is a coupon booklet with $50 in coupons inside that is yours.  You leave the backpack in the donation bin or with a Customer Service Representative and take the coupons for yourself.  What a simple way to give.

One lucky kid will get the backpack full of all the school supplies they need.  Emmalee wants one for herself ;0}  We had to do a little explaining there in the isle.  She was all for purchasing a bag once she realized who would be getting the goods.  

Thank you TheMotherhood.com, Champions For Kids, Purell, Unilever and Elmers for letting the SewCakeMaker's be apart of the fun.  Now you readers need to get to Walmart.  You only have 4 more days to purchase your backpacks!!!

***Disclosure: “I received stipend from Champions For Kids and The Motherhood as part of my participation in this program. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed in this post are my own.”

Babies and Blessings

This is my cute little nephew Sawyer.  He is a stinker, like all my sister's kids, and he decided to come early. As it turns out, an early birth was a good thing.  This little guy was born with pneumonia.  The doctor that worked with him at Children's Hospital, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said that most babies with this same condition are typically stillborn.  

When Sawyer was born he seemed healthy.  When he breathed his rib cage would suck in a bit, they call it retracting, but the nurses just suctioned him every once in a while and at one point gave him a little oxygen.  The doctor wasn't worried and everyone got to hold new baby Sawyer.  After some time though, they noticed that his breathing didn't improve.  He sounded more like he was wheezing than breathing.  The nurse came in to do his footprints.  While she was washing his feet off, he stopped breathing altogether and turned blue.  The medical staff worked feverishly to resuscitate him, and thankfully they were able to.  They began treating him for pneumonia, because there was fluid in his lungs.  

Shortly after that the attending doctors decided he needed to be life-flighted to Minneapolis to the children's hospital up there to get the help he needed.  My sister Kallie had delivered via c-section so she had to stay in her hometown hospital recovering while the baby was transported hundreds of miles away.  Grandma left that moment with older brother and sister, dropping them off with me when she got to the cities, then met the baby at Children's Hospital Minneapolis.  

This all happened last December.  It was quite a traumatic time for the whole family.  I suppose that is why I haven't been able to write about it until now.  Seeing sweet baby Sawyer lying there all taped and corded, when he should have been being snuggled was so heartbreaking.

Sawyer wasn't super premature.  He was born only two weeks before his due date.  Coming in at 6 lbs 9 oz and 19 inches long Sawyer was born a good sized baby, but his lungs were just not in good shape.  

I have nothing but fabulous things to say about the staff and facilities at Children's.  They were kind, organized, and very good at what they did. Each medical procedure was explained so we could understand it.  Really, I can't think of one thing they could have done to make the two week hospital stay easier on the family.  Every couple days I brought older brother and sister to stay a night or two at the hospital, then took them back home with me.  Children's had so many places for them to play while they were there.  The kids enjoyed sibling care, arts and crafts, various volunteer entertainers and even a teacher on staff to help my kindergartner nephew keep up with his school work.

Day after day we waited to hear of any bit of improvement.  I remember it feeling more like months he spent in the hospital, rather than weeks.  Slowly that handsome baby boy got stronger and was able to fight the infection that had consumed his lungs.  Once Sawyer was feeling better, the staff shifted gears in an effort to get him home.  Sawyer needed to be able to breath and feed on his own before he would be discharged.

Brother and sister were so excited when they could come into the NICU and see baby Sawyer.  Because sister was under 5, and it was at the height of cold and flu season, she was only allowed one visit during the whole hospital stay.

The day that Sawyer could be held was exciting for all of us.  Emmalee got one special visit to see her new cousin.  

As you can see, Madison was more than ecstatic as well.

I really wanted to share just a bit of our experience with the Ronald McDonald House.   Since childhood I have been hearing about the foundation, but before this hospital stay I had never really known much about them.  I can tell you now that I have experienced first hand the gracious blessing available through the Ronald McDonald House, thanks to so many kind hearted people.  The Ronald McDonald House organization is worthy of every penny you ever have donated and I hope Americans everywhere will continue to contribute.  

It was bright and clean, warm and inviting.  There were comfortable places to sit, a lovely homey atmosphere to unwind in after long days and nights in the hospital room.  The kids were totally welcome and had a blast playing there.  

Here is what the website has to say about it:

In terms of square footage, the new House is the largest inside the hospital facility within Ronald McDonald House Charities, occupying 8,500 square feet of space. The Ronald McDonald House inside the Hospital is designed to serve families with a child in Intensive Care as well as the other most critical cases throughout the hospital. This new program is innovative, monumental and only the 5th Ronald McDonald House inside a Hospital program in the world. With no geographic requirement, this significant endeavor speaks to our ongoing commitment to serve local families.

Accommodations

• 16 private rooms with bedrooms and showers
• In-room Internet, TV/DVD players, phone with hospital extensions
• Full kitchen with snacks, beverages and cooking facilities
• Laundry facilities
• Living room and lounge space with a TV
• A quiet space, computer lab with internet access
• Exercise facilities
• Outside patio

Eligibility and usage of the rooms will be determined on a nightly basis by Children's staff.

It was a huge relief to have the RM House to ease the emotional strain on the family.  The bedrooms were full at the time, but the hospital provided a room at a nearby hotel until there was availability at the Ronald McDonald House in Minneapolis, the one not attached to the hospital.  The family was welcome to use the other facilities at any time during the hospital stay.

These are pictures of the Ronald McDonald House in downtown Minneapolis.  

Even more amazing.  Seriously.  It blew-my-mind. 

The day my kids and I came to visit there were piles of presents {since it was Christmas time} that the kids could pick from.  Some families had been there for days, some months or even years while their children were fighting for life in the hospital.  

Volunteers brought dinner every night in both of the houses to feed the families.

This is my sister Katrina's boyfriend.  He hopped right in and washed dishes after dinner.  

There were places to sit and work, eat, relax and talk or watch tv.

Uh, check out this play castle.  It had two floors!  The thing was fully stocked like a real house, all for the little munchkins to play in.

The whole place was decorated for Christmas so these families, though they were not at home, could still enjoy the holidays.

Around every corner was another kitchen families could use.  What a blessing.  Food can be a huge financial hardship when you are in the hospital for months.  The opportunity to cook their own food makes the financial burden on families less, along with improving the quality of their food.  Even a week of eating out constantly makes me sick.  This is amazing!

The outside areas were covered in snow, but what fun they will be this time of year with nature waking up with Spring.

I will forever be grateful for the Ronald McDonald organization for taking the time to make this all possible.  When I think back on the whole hospital ordeal, were it now for the RM House and all it had available...well, I really don't know how Kallie and them would have made it through.

At the end of the hospital visit, Kallie came by my house for a little photo shoot before heading for home.  Thanks to the wonderful care at Children's Hospital of Minneapolis and all of it's amazing employees and volunteers, Sawyer was able to make it home for Christmas.

And that brings me to the last two weeks.  

We had gone down for Easter to see.  We played with all the cousins and with smiley Sawyer every second we could...

but just a couple days after we got back home, Sawyer went into the hospital again.  Though he was discharged the next day, he ended up right back in the ER that night, and then was taken back to Children's via ambulance.  Big sister came back to my house, and we all held our breath hoping the doctor's could find out what was wrong with our little guy.  

Poor baby.  Sawyer could hardly cry, his throat was so dried out from the oxygen.  I couldn't believe I had bounced and smiled and tickled that little guy just a couple days earlier.  Tests were run while they treated his viral infection.  He had pneumonia again, along with bronchitis.  Many days and payers later Sawyer started to improve.

He was awake more and smiling more.

And loving his brother and sister again.  

With the damage Sawyer had to his lungs before he was ever born, I am afraid he has a long life of illness ahead of him.  Luckily, he has a fabulous family that loves him and will make sure he is well cared for.  

One really sad thing, Kallie recognized a mother of a sick child she had met during the first hospital stay.  As she talked with the woman Kallie learned the mother's poor child was STILL in the hospital.  They had been there for 11 months, actually.  What a sad thing to have a child spend a whole year + in the hospital, and the mother or father sitting there each and every day hoping for a good turn.  It just makes me even more grateful for the Ronald McDonald House and the work that is done there.  When your family is in crisis, every bit of help is such a relief.

As for little Sawyer, his Auntie Nessa is just happy to see his smiles again.  

You know I AM his favorite person ever, right?  

I am sure my name will be the first word out of his lips.

I thank heaven this baby is here today.  

It is just one more marvel thanks to the blessing of modern medicine.