Recycler Helps Pack 300,000-plus Meals for World’s Hungry

Maine Plastics Inc., Zion, Ill., hosted an event in December that brought together volunteers who packed more than 312,500 meals for distribution to starving children throughout the world.

Maine’s facility in Zion served as host for the effort that was held in cooperation with Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Libertyville, Ill., and Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), a not-for-profit group based in Minnesota.

During the event, volunteers packed meals specially formulated for malnourished children. The packaged meals consist of rice, soy protein, dehydrated vegetables and 20 vitamins and minerals mixed with vegetarian chicken flavoring. FMSC distributes the meals to orphanages, clinics, relief centers and schools in more than 50 countries in the developing world.

“The event was a tremendous success,” says Mike Dikelsky, an employee of Maine Plastics and member of Holy Cross church. “In six packing sessions, 1,513 volunteers packed 312,552 meals. This is enough food to feed 856 malnourished children one meal per day for an entire year.”

More than 50 Maine Plastics employees and their families participated in the event. David Kaplan, an owner of Maine Plastics, participated in the event and said he hopes Maine Plastics can make it an annual tradition. In addition, several community groups, including Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, junior high and high school student groups, signed up to work a shift together. More than half of the volunteers were under age 18.

Maine Plastics is a post-industrial plastic recycling company that buys plastic scrap from injection molders, bottle blowers, thermoformers, extruders and other sources. More information on the company, which ranked third in Recycling Today’s 2008 list of the 20 Largest Plastic Recyclers in the United States, can be found at www.maineplastics.com.

Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a not-for-profit Christian organization that organizes volunteers to hand-pack meals designed specifically for starving children. FMSC ships the meals, which cost just 17 cents to produce. More information on the organization can be found at www.fmsc.org.