Volunteers put together packets of compassion for Ghana

This was no ordinary fast-food order for a burger and fries.

Instead, the request Wednesday for 100,000 meals targeted a village of hungry and malnourished children in West Africa.

It took just four hours to assemble 100,000 meal packets of uncooked rice, lentils and dehydrated vegetables in the parking lot of Tampa's DeBartolo Development. The 500 volunteers stepped into a well-oiled assembly line for one-hour shifts, measuring, pouring, weighing, sealing and taping boxes headed for a shipping container.

"This takes a coordinated effort," said Tracey Barnes, who joined Bible study friends at the fast-paced event organized by Orlando-based Feeding Children Everywhere.

The protein- and vitamin-rich meals are designed for children's growing bodies, said Don Campbell, the group's executive director. Most food aid sent oversees contains soy or glucose, which can hamper a body's development.

"It's going to give them the nutrition … to help their bodies grow," said Emmanuel Fiagbedzi, director of King's Voice Ministries, based in the Volta Region village of Afloa. He said children at his ministry's school and those at an orphanage will be the main recipients of the meals assembled Wednesday.

International groups are just part of the group's outreach. The products of the next local packaging project, at Idlewild Baptist Church on March 3, will stay closer to home, serving children at Tampa's Just Elementary. Students who need help will get the packets to take home for weekend meals, Campbell said.

"If they don't have a stock of food in the house the parents get stressed, and the kids feel that and it spirals," he said.

The group's simple, efficient model of using volunteers to assemble packages keeps the cost down to about 25 cents a meal, Feeding Children Everywhere marketing director David Green said. It's also adaptable to many cultures, as recipients can add spices and vegetables that appeal to their tastes.

Costs also are controlled by bulk food buys, such as 40,000 pounds of rice and lentils at a time.

The event Wednesday was the second hosted by DeBartolo Development. The company also will help lead a massive drive in August to coincide with the Republican National Convention in Tampa. The goal then: prepare 5 million meal packets.

Ed Kobel, DeBartolo president and chief operating officer, said it's important that these meals are not seen as a handout.

"If we can make 5 million meals and load up local food banks, then (those who need help) can get to that next step," he said.

For information about the program, visit www.feedingchildreneverywhere.com.