Reporting by Katherine Nelson
“Children have a special kind of love that’s untainted and undeniable,” said Laura Hernandez, Prosper mom and president of a local children’s ministry from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was helping a group of about seventy kids from her ministry celebrate Global Youth Service Day. They gathered at the Children’s Hunger Fund warehouse in Frisco on Saturday to pack boxes of food for children in the community.
The kids formed a line on one side of a series of long tables, each holding a box about the size and shape of a shoebox. They filled the boxes, which CHF calls Food Paks, with dry food goods from the adults on the other side of the tables. The Food Paks can hold up to 8 pounds of food and include canned food like beans, pears, and tuna as well as peanut butter and wholesome prepackaged snacks like trail mix and granola. Each of the 720 Paks the kids filled on Saturday will be hand delivered to children within twenty miles of the warehouse by local churches.
An event like this one is part of CHF’s tireless efforts to address the needs of the 28% of children in North Texas experiencing poverty. They typically host food packing events at least four times a week, then deliver those Food Paks to local churches, who in turn distribute the Paks to local children and families in need. The Dallas location is part of a bigger organization that started in California in 1991 and has since grown to serve over 30 countries worldwide.
On May 2, their reach will expand further when they break ground on a new state-of-the-art facility located in Prosper, which is slated to open in 2026. The new facility will include a conference space that the community can use. It will also include “Poverty Encounter,” an educational experience intended to help kids better understand the impact of poverty on the lives of children around the world. The Prosper facility is expected to serve 5 million meals per year to children and families in need.
CHF hopes that their efforts will impact the next generation. “We are doing this for kids,” said Cameron Crane, Director of Operations. “We want kids to be a part of this. Train them young to think about other people.”
Laura Hernandez hoped for something similar. “We definitely were looking for an activity where kids could serve other children,” she said. Her favorite part of the activity was “seeing the kiddos’ faces light up as they go around. You can feel the energy here, and the love that they have, and just their willingness and goodness that they want to give to other kids.”
“If Christ were here,” she added, “he would ensure that all children would be fed. These children are doing that. They are doing what He would do Himself.”
Kate Willis, a nine-year-old from Frisco, agreed. “I feel like I’m serving Him when I’m serving others.”
Those interested in supporting CHF’s efforts can visit their website here.