Mark and Judy Ehde have been volunteering at the Vineyard Church in Syracuse for years.

“This is what we are supposed to do, feed the children that are starving, whether it be here, locally or around the world,” said Judy Ehde.

They, along with dozens of others, were helping pack meals for the hungry. Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit that helps kids in more than 70 different countries.

According to the organization, one in nine children are hungry.

“It’s a very fulfilling experience. A lot of times, you don’t have opportunities. You see these things on TV and on the news on people suffering. There's not a lot of opportunities to help out,” said Mark Ehde.

The healthy meals they pack are designed to counteract malnourishment. They include rice, veggies, soy and vitamins.

“We do it because we know Jesus said 'love your neighbor,' and the best way to love someone is to make sure they have food,'” said The Vineyard Church Pastor John Elmer. “There are lots of kids who don’t have enough food. From right here, we can help feed 900 kids a meal a day for a year.”

The Vineyard Church has been doing this for 12 years. In 2019, they packed 650,000 meals.

Workers with The Vineyard Church say they usually have people from multiple schools volunteer, but COVID-19 restrictions have changed that.

They need more help to complete their goal. If you can volunteer, sign up online or contact the church.