Can you tell us about Feed Our Children and what works the organization does? What exactly is your role in the organization, Rachel Malvich?
Feed Our Children Now! is an awesome charity started by Lana Posner, that is a program of Creative Money Works inc. CMW is a youth empowerment organization and through Feed Our Children NOW! talented young people are mentored with concrete job skills. We collect enough food to feed tens of thousands of children through 41 charities each summer with Vans Warped Tour presented by Journeys. My specific roll in Feed Our Children Now! is a graphics director, where I am tasked with creating images and video that are on trend and specific to the youth audience. I create video and graphic design content for our social media pages and our website.
How did FOCN start in this work?
FOCN started with Lana Posner in Camden, New Jersey in 2007. It began as a way to help feed the children in Camden New Jersey at Vans Warped Tour.
And what is its overall mission and goals?
FOCN overall mission and goals is simply to feed the children and families with children in need in America. We distribute the food through charities that agree to unconditionally give the food away. FOCN works hard with amazing young volunteers to achieve this goal the best we can, as my awesome boss Lana says, “Our goal is to be put out of business!”
Can you tell us a little bit about the team behind your work?
We work with a ton of fantastic and passionate volunteers all around the country. Right now, we have two people, Hailey Sager and Franny Lopez out on Vans Warped Tour presented by Journeys, traveling the country working with volunteers to collect food for local charities. We have a team of three – Stephanie Kinney, Desiree Hernandez and Makayla McComb – working on charity coordination. We also have a team of 2 coordinating all the volunteers for the 41 cities of the Tour: Terra Taylor and Diana Lopez. There are also 2 people working on our social media: Matt Benton and Nicole Garcia. Jonnie Efta works with our database management.
What are the major events that you have going on at the moment?
FOCN is currently working very closely with Vans Warped Tour presented by Journeys. We’ve been on the tour for 11 years now and we have raised over 1,800,000 lbs. (over 815,000 kg.) of food! We have awesome support from founder Kevin Lyman and the whole tour, and it’s just amazing to see all the attendees come out and donate for such an amazing cause. This year, we also were sponsors So What! and Playlist Live with our new program aQire™ the Goods. Video capture of these events is always a challenge. I was excited to have band approval to include “Between California and Summer”, which is now known as, “Sincerely, Me”, in our So What! video. I have a special interest in band’s performance, so when I get the approval it is really helpful to capture the whole event where we are collecting food and recording good news stories.
What role does VEGAS Pro video editing software play in your operation?
VEGAS Pro video editing software has made my life so much easier when it comes to editing videos quickly. VEGAS Pro gives me the tools to cut, edit and color correct any footage I shoot when I’m at an event with FOCN and aQire™ the Goods.
What do you feel having this presence brings to your organization? What do you hope to achieve in creating videos as a part of your charity work?
Having the ability to have professionally edited videos gives us a chance to reach out to anyone who hasn’t heard of us or connect with those who have. We use these videos to engage, entertain and educate people all over social media. We hope that our videos will bring attention to us and our cause, so we can continue to feed children and do what we can to help end hunger in the United States and to empower all young people. with our expanding programs.
How have you noticed a change in your outreach or reception since beginning to have a video presence online?
Since upgrading our online video presence, we’ve definitely noticed an increase in interactions on social media. It’s awesome that so many people see the hard work of our volunteers, and it’s even better that the message to rally and feed children is being spread further across the internet. Working with Feed Our Children Now! and our new aQire™ the Goods program has provided me with great networking opportunities that open doors for me in filming opportunities.
What stories have you collected about FOCN’s work (perhaps, even on video) that you are excited about sharing? Are there any events, which you are particularly excited about documenting?
We currently have a camera out on Vans Warped Tour presented by Journeys so we’re excited to see the kind of footage we get of people coming together all across the nation to help fight against hunger!
What plans do you have for your YouTube/Vimeo channel?
Our plans for our Youtube and Vimeo Channel is to keep posting videos about the events we attend, how people can get involved and where you might see us next!
Which events does FOCN have coming up in the future? And where can people go to find more information about your work and get updates?
We are still currently on Vans Warped Tour presented by Journeys, so look out for our tent at the remaining shows! Bring some cans and say hi! Anyone can find more information about Feed Our Children Now! At www.feedourchildrennow.org or our Facebook, Instagram or twitter pages!
