Marshfield volunteers bring hope, one meal at a time

MARSHFIELD – What begins with volunteers gathering around tables to pack meals in Marshfield has grown into something much greater: a community effort that has helped provide millions of meals to children and families facing hunger around the world.

Through Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), Marshfield volunteers have packed more than 3 million meals since the local initiative began, demonstrating how a small community can make a difference far beyond its borders.

Toni Nienast, a volunteer host who organizes the Marshfield MobilePack event alongside her husband, said the community typically packs approximately 150,000 meals each year during the three-day event.

The annual effort brings together hundreds of volunteers, including families, businesses, youth groups and returning participants, all working toward one goal: helping children who might otherwise go without food.

For Nienast, the experience is about more than the number of meals packed. It is about bringing people together and showing them the difference they can make.

"I feel like it's an experience of bringing people together in our community," Nienast said.

The event requires months of preparation, including fundraising, securing a location, coordinating volunteers and establishing meal-packing goals based on available funding. Donations from businesses and individuals help determine how many meals the community can commit to packing each year.

During the three-day event, organizers often work from approximately 7 a.m. until 8 or 9 p.m. Volunteers participate in shifts lasting about 90 minutes to two hours, while additional volunteers help lead groups, provide instructions and keep operations running smoothly.

Nienast said many participants return year after year, while others experience the event for the first time. Both groups play an important role in its continued success.

The meals packed in Marshfield are shipped to communities facing hunger and poverty around the world, including locations in Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica and countries throughout Africa and South America. Organizers receive information about where the food is distributed, allowing volunteers to see how their efforts reach families thousands of miles away.

Nienast has witnessed some of that impact firsthand through mission trips, where she met children and families receiving assistance.

"The kids and the families that received these meals ... they are so full of hope," she said.

She recalled seeing families facing hardships that many Americans may never experience, including parents struggling to provide for their children and communities affected by poverty and natural disasters.

Those experiences reinforced her belief that even one meal can make an extraordinary difference.

"A simple one meal can save a person's or children's life," Nienast said.

She also described how some individuals who receive assistance eventually begin helping others in their own communities, extending the impact of the program even further.

But the benefits are not limited to those receiving the food.

Nienast believes the event also strengthens Marshfield by giving residents a meaningful opportunity to volunteer, learn about hunger and experience the satisfaction of helping others through hands-on service.

For those unable to travel overseas to assist families in need, the MobilePack event offers a way to make a global difference without leaving their hometown.

"I think it makes an impact here in our community," Nienast said. "And it makes an impact globally, so that's why we love it so much, because I feel like it's a double, double impact."

The Marshfield MobilePack initiative began approximately 17 years ago. Nienast and her husband took over organizing the event about five or six years ago after previous volunteers handed over leadership responsibilities.

Although the event has a strong base of returning volunteers, organizers continue seeking new participants, particularly those interested in serving as group leaders and helping guide first-time volunteers. Training is provided for those taking on leadership responsibilities.

Businesses, churches, youth organizations and individuals are encouraged to become involved. Organizers typically begin promoting the event early, with another recruitment push in the spring to accommodate groups planning volunteer activities.

For Nienast, the most rewarding part is knowing that the work accomplished in Marshfield reaches children and families who desperately need assistance.

From the volunteers packing meals to the children receiving them across the world, each contribution becomes part of a much larger effort.

And after more than 3 million meals packed, the Marshfield community continues proving that compassion, generosity and a willingness to serve can make a lasting difference, one meal at a time.