At MHQ West of Arizona, serving agencies and fleets is only part of the mission. Our team also looks for ways to give back to the broader community, especially around the holidays when the needs of others feel most pressing. When our original 2025 volunteer plans fell through, that change of plans opened the door to something even more meaningful.
A Change of Plans That Became a Blessing
MHQ West Arizona had a different volunteer project on the calendar for 2025, but scheduling issues forced a last-minute cancellation. Rather than let the opportunity to serve slip away, the team began looking for another way to make a tangible impact. One of our employees had previously volunteered at Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), a nonprofit that hosts meal-packing events for malnourished children worldwide, and suggested it as an option.
That recommendation quickly turned into action. The team signed up for a morning packing shift at FMSC, just in time for Christmas. What started as “Plan B” became one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of the year.
Packing Thousands of Meals in Just Two Hours
During a single, fast-paced session, MHQ West Arizona joined many other volunteers on the packing floor to scoop, weigh, seal, and box nutritionally balanced meals bound for children in need. In less than two hours, the group helped pack more than 49,000 meals—227 boxes in total—enough to feed 134 children for an entire year. That scale of impact is typical of FMSC events, where even a short shift can produce meals for hundreds of kids.
The work was hands-on and energetic, leaving little time for photos, but the results spoke for themselves: pallets of finished boxes, a visible sense of accomplishment, and a deeper appreciation for how small actions add up when people work together.
Why Feed My Starving Children?
Feed My Starving Children is built around a simple model: volunteers hand-pack meals made of rice, soy, dried vegetables, and vitamins, which are then shipped to partner organizations serving children in nearly 70 countries. FMSC runs permanent sites in states including Arizona and also coordinates MobilePack events nationwide, making it accessible for businesses, schools, and community groups.
For MHQ West Arizona, FMSC offered exactly what the team was looking for: a practical, high-impact way to serve, with a clear connection between the time invested and the lives helped.
A Team Effort Worth Celebrating
"This was our first event with FMSC, but it absolutely won’t be our last. It’s a powerful way to give back, and doing it at Christmas time made it even more meaningful. A huge thank you to Team MHQ West AZ — Michael, Brian S, Ronnie, Joe, Kurt, Mo, Brian P, Manny, Neisen, Devin, Mark, and Rick for showing up and serving. Very proud of our team!"
If your organization is looking for a way to give back, consider reserving a shift at a nearby FMSC location or MobilePack event. You might be surprised by how much your team can accomplish in just one session.
