Giving to children's hunger

By Pam Vetter

One of the largest churches in the United States, which is located in Porter Ranch, took part in the Children's Hunger Fund care package drive. More than one thousand boxes filled with food were collected at Shepherd of the Hills.
Items included in the package only cost us about $18, but the Children's Hunger Fund Food Pak campaign provides an opportunity for people of all ages to get involved.

Alex Vetter, 11, was eager to do the shopping and pack the box himself.

"We went to a local grocery store and used our checklist to pick items. They wanted a 16 oz. bag of pinto beans, but we found a 32 oz. bag of pinto beans for the same price. Same thing happened with the rice, so we bought the bigger bag so it would feed more people," Vetter explained.

As he continued through the aisles, comparing prices, he wanted to give more. So much more, we didn't know if it would fit into the box.

"The grocery checklist also listed a small box of crackers, but we found a one pound box of crackers for the same amount of money. The list wanted a 3 - 6 oz. bag of nuts, but we found a can of 12 oz. salted peanuts instead," Vetter said. "My goal was to feed more people so they could be healthy to eat good food instead of going hungry."

When we arrived home, the items surprisingly fit into the box perfectly. We added a requested check for $5 and in return, we will receive a tax deductible donation receipt.

"It felt good to buy and pack the food myself. To give is better than to receive. You're giving to someone who is in need of help," Vetter said with a smile. "Everyone should try to give something to help the kids, because I don't like it when I'm hungry, why would they?"

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