Second round of food aid bring total meals to 1 million
By EMMA QUASNY
International Disaster Emergency Service, IDES, is a nonprofit located in Noblesville with the mission to meet physical and spiritual needs of suffering people around the world. The organization’s five focus areas are disaster relief, hunger relief, medical care, community development and evangelism and discipleship.
One of the organization’s main projects, GAP (God Always ProvIDES), recently sent out two additional shipping containers with over 500,000 meals to Ukraine refugees. Following the March 31, shipment of the first 500,000, this brings the total to one million meals.
The purpose of the GAP program is to provide nutritious meals to people in various areas or certain situations. Since 2010, this volunteer-based program has packed and sent 10 million meals across the world. These meals provide food, minerals and vitamins to those in hunger situations where food is scarce, or they are unable to receive food entirely.
While IDES was established 50 years ago, GAP Director Jody England said the GAP program was started in light of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and has been growing ever since.
“Over the past 12 years [GAP] has slowly grown, as far as the yearly production of the GAP meals,” England said. “Last year, we packed, at one point, eight million meals in the calendar year.”
Photo provided by IDES
These meals are never intended to be a continual feeding source, but rather to help people in times of crisis where they can have that momentary need fulfilled.
“It definitely is one of those situations where we provide them with a meal that will provide them nutrition and get them able to where they can progress from that point,” England said.
Youth groups, community groups, schools, families and others volunteer their time and funding to provide these meals to those in need. IDES has partnerships across the U.S. where volunteers can dedicate their time and money to packing these meals.
IDES has been working with new and old partners in 12 different countries surrounding Ukraine to provide food and transportation to Ukraine refugees. IDES International Aid Director Randy Jones said these partnerships are helpful to expand their services globally.
“Having these people on the ground really helps pave the way of what we are doing today and whatever the next few months bring,” Jones said.
Photo provided by IDES
These partnerships allow IDES to make an impact on people all over the world. Besides the GAP program, IDES has been helping with U.S. disaster relief in Kentucky and Iowa following the recent tornados that have affected those living there. With volunteers they provide resources and the building of new housing to those in need.
Global and U.S. partnerships are important to IDES so they can find ways provide to everyone. IDES Executive Director David Stine explained that the organization’s partnerships go through a thorough verification process to confirm their authenticity.
“They have to have U.S. references and ways that we can check out to make sure they are legitimate,” Stine said. “We also check out through national government verification … that they aren’t on any watchlist or anything along those lines to make sure that the aid and resources are going to go exactly where they are supposed to go.”
IDES continues to help those in need by preparing for the worst but hoping for the best. Throughout partnerships and volunteers globally, IDES is able to expand is mission and help all in need. To learn more about what IDES does or ways to volunteer with this nonprofit, visit IDES.org or check out their Facebook page.