This week, I am volunteering to lead a group of youth for Auburn United Methodist Church's in-town mission trip!   I love sweat week because it is a great way to share my love for serving with young people.   Today, our group headed out to the Food Bank of East Alabama.  

We sorted groceries to be taken to a local nursing home, and then labeled boxes and boxes of bleach to be sent out to clean other agencies of the food bank, where people can come in and get food. 

Volunteering in Auburn, AL - after volunteering in Accra, Ghana is very enlightening:

According to the Food Bank of East Alabama's website:

http://www.foodbankofeastalabama.com/index.html

• 13% of Alabama’s population is “food insecure” meaning they have uncertain or limited access to enough food for a healthy life.

• Over 12% of Alabama citizens receive food stamps. The benefit level equates to 79 cents per meal.
• One out of every five (20% of) children in our area live in poverty.

And, according to the World Food Programme website:
http://www.wfp.org/countries/ghana

• 12% of the population of Ghana is undernourished; 45 percent of the population lives on less than US$1 a day.
• 18% of children in Ghana are under weight for their age.

Not much difference, according to these statistics? Kind of shocking, right?

More research to come on this, but I am worn out from the kids tonight :)