Last Friday, the GCTS Testing Systems team stepped away from our usual work of designing and supporting advanced material testing systems and headed to the Feed My Starving Children site in Tempe for our quarterly team-building event. Hairnets on and gloves ready, we joined the packing lines to hand-assemble MannaPack meals.
The process is straightforward but precise—scooping measured amounts of rice, soy protein, dehydrated vegetables, and a vitamin blend into bags, sealing them, and boxing them for shipment to partners around the world. It’s a different kind of accuracy from what we practice with soil, rock, and pavement testing equipment, yet the same care and attention to detail apply. Between boxes, the room filled with conversation, light competition over who could keep the cleanest station, and shared satisfaction as pallets stacked up.
What We Accomplished
By the end of the session, 101 boxes were packed, producing 21,816 meals. That total is enough to feed 59 children one meal a day for an entire year. The ingredient cost for those meals came to $6,326.64, and GCTS matched the amount with an additional company donation of the same size.
These quarterly sessions give us a chance to work together outside the office while contributing to something larger. Feed My Starving Children recently marked the milestone of 5 billion meals shipped, and every bag packed adds to that ongoing effort to help children facing malnutrition. For the GCTS team, it’s a practical way to stay connected to the communities where we live and work.
Thank you to everyone who joined us. If you’re interested in learning more about volunteering or supporting the organization, visit fmsc.org.
