Yakima Luthern church helps feed the multitudes overseas

YAKIMA, Wash. -- In short, it's something of a miracle.

Not exactly the bread and fish that fed 5,000 people, but still, needy children will be getting tons, literally, of nutritious meals because of this program.

Called Feeding Five Thousand, it's a local endeavor initiated by Mount Olive Lutheran Church to provide meals for children in Africa and the Dominican Republic.

Named after the Biblical miracle, recounted in Matthew, in which Jesus fed 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish, Mount Olive's program targets the neediest of children with ready-to-cook, wholesome food packets.

Here's how it works: Yakima volunteers fill plastic bags with lentils, rice, spices, dehydrated vegetables and chicken powder to be sent to the charity, Children of the Nations. A Christian organization, Children of the Nations operates schools, clinics and feeding centers for orphans and needy children in Uganda, Malawi, Sierra Leone and the Dominican Republic.

When cooked with six cups of water, each packet makes a meal for six people.

"Often it's the only meal some of these children will get in a day," explained Shereen Stocker, the volunteer who heads up the Feeding Five Thousand program at Mount Olive.

"God has blessed us so abundantly in the U.S., this is a chance to share," she said.

Stocker conceived the idea of Feeding Five Thousand three years ago after hearing about a friend's church in the Midwest that participated in a similar program. She approached her minister, the Rev. Toby Joeckel, who responded with enthusiasm.

He's glad he did. "It's a great thing to do," he said. "Any time you can feed starving children, it makes an impact."

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The first step in Feeding Five Thousand was raising money; each meal the church packs up to send overseas costs 25 cents, or $1.50 a packet.

The church went into intense fundraising mode, hosting spaghetti feeds and other dinners, mounting a recycling project, organizing an omelet feed after church services and selling apples.

They also put containers around the church and launched "A mile of pennies" to benefit the feeding project.

Stocker explained that the church figured that a mile, or 5,280 feet, of pennies translates to about $800, which, in turn, is enough money to feed 3,200 children.

So what began as a Lenten project has now become a year-round effort.

The first year's goal was to raise enough money to buy 5,000 meals, or $1,250.

The church surpassed that seven-fold, raising enough funds to pack up 35,000 meals.

Last year, the church loaded up 60,000 meals.

"This year we'll be over 100,000 meals," Joeckel predicted.

It's a lofty goal, Stocker conceded, noting "We're blessed with however many meals we can do. We're thankful to feed whoever we can."

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As word has begun to spread locally about the Feeding Five Thousand program, other churches and organizations have jumped in to help. Members from other area Lutheran churches -- Bethlehem, Peace, Central and Christ -- and Wiley Heights Covenant Church have helped with packing meals, raising money and recycling. The Knights of Columbus donated proceeds from a breakfast to the effort, and Kiwanis and Rotary clubs have also contributed money.

Several businesses and government organizations have also donated to the cause.

All the help is welcome and translates into more food for needy children, according to Joeckel.

"You can be whatever religion you want to be to feed the hungry," he said.

Stocker mentioned that just about every person in the 250-member Mount Olive congregation has stepped in to help with Feeding Five Thousand.

Joeckel concurred, calling it a hands-on type of mission. "We're not a wealthy congregation by any means, but people really give to this."

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One of the more popular, and lucrative, fundraising events came at the end of March, when Mount Olive hosted a dessert auction. Dale Carpenter, one of the main organizers of Feeding Five Thousand, served as auctioneer, soliciting and wheedling -- and getting -- bids of $50 and more for the 40 home-baked cakes, pies, cookies and cheesecakes.

"People really outdid each other," said Stocker, who baked double-crunch cookies for the event.

All told, the auction raised more than $1,600.

One of the prize desserts this year was donated by Yakima County Commissioner Kevin Bouchey and his wife, Renee. She baked a huckleberry pie for the auction, the first time the couple has been asked to donate a dessert for a benefit.

"I couldn't think of anything that would be more special than huckleberries," Renee explained. Although the Boucheys don't attend Mount Olive, they wholeheartedly support the Feeding Five Thousand cause.

"It's impressive what the church has accomplished," Renee said.

The next big event for the project will be packing day, April 17. Some 200 volunteers will work in five-hour shifts, filling bags with staples that will translate into meals for children across the world. Once all the meals are packed up, they'll be transported by truck to Children of the Nations headquarters in Silverdale, Wash., for distribution.

All the volunteer hours donated to the project are well worth it, from Stocker's perspective. A nurse practitioner, she's traveled on medical missions to Africa and several Latin American countries and has observed first hand the abject poverty in the Third World.

"We have it so good here," she said. "It makes you want to do something for others."

* Jane Gargas can be reached at 509-577-7690 or jgargas@yakimaherald.com.

If you go ...

WHO: Mount Olive Lutheran Church

WHAT: Packing day for Feeding Five Thousand

WHEN: April 17, hours vary

WHERE: 7809 Tieton Drive

WHY: To fill plastic bags with food for hungry children overseas

Information: 509-966-2190