I volunteered in MFK’s administrative office in St. Louis, and was very impressed by the impact such a small organization can have in changing Haitian children and farmers’ lives. What I find truly amazing about this organization are its efforts to address the root cause of severe malnutrition in Haiti by creating jobs and spreading knowledge about farming practices to produce better yields. During my time with the organization, MFK was in the middle of building its new factory, whose completion will produce enough Medika Mamba (the Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food) to treat 80,000 children every year. The organization has come a long way from its humble beginnings with a hand grinder in a church schoolroom, and I believe MFK will continue to accomplish great things and save thousands of lives. I would highly recommend Meds & Food for Kids for interns and volunteers looking for a worthwhile experience.
Meds & Food for Kids is not only a life-changing source of nutrition for thousands of malnourished children in Haiti, but also a sustainable business endeavor that employs local workers and gives families a real opportunity to end the vicious cycle of poverty. I was fortunate enough to serve as an intern to this incredible organization, and was constantly impressed by the network of dedicated and passionate individuals that contribute their time and resources to ensure the success of this non-profit. Dr. Patricia Wolff is an extremely intelligent, creative, compassionate, and inspiring leader whose reputation alone earns MFK an enormous amount of respect amongst the St. Louis, medical, and development communities. I wholeheartedly believe and trust in the mission, model, and performance of this organization, and I'm excited to see their impact grow even more after the completion of the new Haitian factory.
I was a student intern with Meds & Foods for Kids. My role involved working on the MFK's supply chain, helping the organization to develop its end to end supply chain strategy as MFK began scaling up with a new factory in Haiti. The work was very rewarding, and I had a chance to interact with the staff at the national office, as well as work closely with the Director of Operations who is currently located in Haiti. My experience with MFK was well spent as I learned a great deal about how this social enterprise is supporting a worthy social cause while utilizing sound business principles. It was truly fascinating to work with MFK's Global Supply Chain, and to learn that the challenges MFK faces are the same faced by any global business.
I first learned about Meds & Food For Kids one year ago at the nonprofit career fair at Washington University in St. Louis. MFK was distributing information about its cause and the work it does to WashU’s social activists. I was immediately impressed with the work the nonprofit does for the farmers and malnourished children of Haiti; MFK simultaneously stimulates the Haitian agricultural system while curbing starvation in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Since the career fair, I have started working at MFK in an internship position. During my time here, the organization has continually surpassed my expectations. Most nonprofits settle for raising money and awareness for a cause, but MFK lives its mission statement- it doesn’t seek to feed hungry children, but rather fix the system that lead to their starvation. Yes, fundraising is a large portion of the work that goes on at MFK, but the work is personally gratifying. I know that for every $69 that MFK raises, one more child can be cured of malnutrition. I am inspired by the work MFK is committed to and moved by the stories of those MFK helps. Having extensively browsed photographs from our clinics in Haiti, I can say that the results are visible and blatant. Children that only weeks ago were not strong enough to support the weight of their own head or stand up can now play with other healthy children. Families that were devastated from the loss of a child to starvation now have a way to save the lives of their other children. It amazes me that one organization can have as much of an impact in a country as Meds & Food For Kids has in Haiti. I highly recommend Meds & Food For Kids and its work in Haiti. Please support this organization so that 80,000 children can grow up to be happy and healthy.