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Then Feed Just One: Diocesan Catholic schools package food for those in need

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
(Email Katie)

“If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." ~ Mother Teresa

That is the motto for Then Feed Just One (TFJO ), a not-for-profit organization started in the Diocese of Sioux City. It is a mobile food-packing program that assists communities, school, churches and clubs in alleviating world hunger. Several schools and communities in the Diocese of Sioux City hold packing events each year.

“It is part of our Christian heritage,” said Alan Vonnahme, TFJO president and theology teacher at Remsen St. Mary’s. “The main basis of Christianity is love God and your neighbor. There are so many people suffering from malnutrition and hunger. We would not want to live that way. We believe as Christians that we need to serve others and this is just one way.”

Packing events can last for an hour, half a day or even 24 hours. Each shift may vary from 15 minutes to 2 hours. In all cases, the results are nutritious meals for hungry and starving people at very little cost per meal.
Each package will feed six people and includes rice, dehydrated vegetables, vitamins and minerals, chicken flavoring and soy bean flour. The packages are weighed, sealed, boxed and shipped.

On average there are about 15 to 18 packing events per year. Fourteen packing events are already planned for this year. Catholic schools in the diocese plan to hold events including Storm Lake St. Mary’s, Granville Spalding Catholic (with Remsen St. Mary’s), Le Mars Gehlen Catholic, Carroll Kuemper Catholic and Sioux City Bishop Heelan Catholic Schools.

“I think it is a great social justice thing to do,” said Vonnahme. “I want to thank people for all of their continued support. Richard Seivert does a great job of transporting the food in a very efficient way. It gets into the hands of those in need.”

Richard Sievert, high school social studies teacher and 7-12 counselor at Gehlen Catholic School in Le Mars, assists Vonnahme with all TFJO events and organizes the event at Gehlen. He also ships the food to Honduras once 20 full pallets of food have been completed.

“A full Dole Container holds 285,120 meals. We ship primarily to the Cerro de Plata Foundation in Tegucigalpa, Honduras,” he said. “From there the food is distributed to dozens of children’s homes and orphanages.”

Last year about 18 events were held in schools, churches, clubs and whole communities and they packaged and shipped 1.25 million meals to Honduras – 5 full containers.

“I see great benefit to those who participate and think it is very worthwhile for young people to give back,” said Seivert. “We are very blessed in this area and this country. We hear this message almost each and every week in churches and yet find it hard to fulfill this part of Christianity.”

He had brought Kids Against Hunger (KAH) to Gehlen several years ago. They changed the name of their program a couple years ago “to more accurately reflect who we are and what we do,” he said.

“The name Then Feed Just One is a ‘standard mark’ with the U.S. government – meaning we own exclusive rights to those four words,” said Seivert. “After beginning KAH at Gehlen I realized the specialness of this program and began to recruit other schools, churches, clubs, etc. Then a few years ago I asked Al Vonnahme to begin our own mobile packing organization. We developed it into a 501 C-3 public charity.”

Hands-on service

This will be the third year that St. Mary’s School in Storm Lake has hosted a packing event. Prior to that, Ryan Berg, 9-12 language arts instructor, 12th grade religion teacher and Student Council advisor, also took students to participate in packing events at Kuemper and Gehlen.

The first year the fifth through twelfth graders at St. Mary’s packaged food. Last year the event was expanded to include kindergarten through twelfth grade, but the kindergarten through fourth graders worked shorter shifts than the older students.

“We have always tried to do service projects as often as possible, which most times consisted of raising money for groups in need in our local community,” said Berg. “We were looking for ways to do more hands-on service and to also find service projects that were more global.”

While planning a high school retreat four years ago, Berg was given Richard Seivert’s name as someone who might talk to the St. Mary’s students.  Seivert talked about Mission Honduras and the food packing event idea with the students. 

Berg said many students were motivated by what they learned and wanted to make sure to host an event at St. Mary’s in the future.  

“Since this event is more hands-on and the students pay the money to help cover the cost of the meals they pack, it gives a stronger sense of ownership,” said Berg. “Students feel good about what they are doing because they can more directly see how they are making a difference.  This type of project also allows you to help so many people in one project.”

As a result of involvement in this project, Berg said some students and adults from St. Mary’s were motivated to form a sister parish relationship with a parish in Santa Lucia, Nicaragua.  For the past two years a small group has gone to Nicaragua to meet the people of Santa Lucia and provide them with some school supplies and sports equipment.

To schedule a packing event, please contact Alan Vonnahme by phone at (712) 540-5885; email: aplawns@premieronline.net; or mail Then Feed Just One, 1121 Southdale Drive, Le Mars, IA  51031.