It was a busy Monday morning at the Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) Aurora location, as employees from five different local hotels packed over 90 boxes of food for those in need.
Working together for a greater cause
Naperville was represented by a group from the Chicago Marriott Naperville. Since Marriott employees are frequent volunteers at FMSC, the Naperville hotel’s general manager Dan Gustafson thought up the idea of bringing the hotels together for this large-scale event.
“Marriott typically comes over to Feed (My) Starving Children three or four times a year,” said Gustafson. “And we realized that so do a number of hotels. So we threw it out as just kind of a competition.”
Each of the tables represented a different country where Feed My Starving Children’s MannaPack meals will be sent. The packs consist of a vitamin powder, dried vegetables, soy, and a rice blend.
“It’s a great appeal because obviously, you’re feeding the children throughout the world,” said Gustafson. “It’s a very easy way to get away from work and bring your fellow coworkers to do a community service activity for about two hours right in the middle of the day.”
MannaPack meals prepared
When the dust settled, the Hospitality for Hope group packed roughly 20,000 meals for those in need.
“Getting organizations and businesses, hotels, schools and churches that want to be partnered with FMSC is just an honor,” said Jess Schalk, Aurora FMSC Site Manager.
Though it started as a competition, in the end the groups lost track of individual numbers, focusing instead on the mission as a whole.
“It’s just great to give back to the community,” said Dan Gustafson, General Manager at Chicago Marriott Naperville Hotel. “We work so hard, but I think it’s always about that work-life balance. It’s not all about making the most amount of money, but it’s also about taking care of your people around the world.”
Naperville News 17’s Will Payne reports.
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