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Kiowa County Partners with Stamp Out Starvation
Today, Kiowa County Schools, Haviland Schools, and various organizations, businesses, and individuals in Kiowa County joined forces to help Stamp Out Starvation! After the event concluded, the community had packaged 52,332 meals (8,722 bags & 242 boxes) to be sent primarily to Haiti. Today, students and volunteers learned that children in Haiti often eat mud pies just to have something in their tummies.
Stamp Out Starvation is a mobile charitable organization located in Cherokee, Oklahoma. After going to Cherokee for the last two years, Kiowa County Jr. High Impact asked Stamp Out Starvation to come to Greensburg. They came and set up in the Auxiliary Gym at Kiowa County Schools and the community got to work. Students packed bags that hold 6 meals per bag, consisting of nutritional powder, dehydrated vegetables, soy, and rice. The bags are filled, weighed, sealed and packed in an assembly-line system.
Marley Little, 4th grader, packed meals for the first time today. She said, “I just wanted to say how much we all loved Stamp Out Starvation and can't wait to do it again next year. It is so nice knowing that kids don't have to eat the mud pies [my little sister] makes in her garden bakery! I know none of us can wait until we have to do it all day!”
Sue Scott, a community volunteer from People’s Bank, enjoyed participating and found meaning in the activity. “I thought about how the nutrition in one package will be instrumental in sustaining a life. The packages will be blessings to the people receiving them. Then I thought about myself--how I take for granted what seems like an endless supply of food and the ease on my part that it is available to me. I certainly don’t know what it’s like to be hungry for days upon days. And if I did experience that kind of hunger, I have to ask myself, would I be satisfied with a package like was put together today? I then wished I could have used one of the packages for my next few meals to better put myself in the place of the receiver. Those thoughts made me pause and thank God for my provisions.”
Students as young as kindergarten participated today, as well as community members who are grandparents! Much thanks to those who made time to support the event and to those who gave a donation. Kiowa County JH Impact was able to give Stamp Out Starvation a check for $2,619 to help with shipping costs. Thank you, Kiowa County!
Click on the above photo to see a gallery of photos from the day.