As an 8-year-old boy, he traveled alone through the African wild where he faced animals hungrier than him. Today, he works as a nonprofit professional in St. Cloud.

Pregnant, she walked for 10 days before giving birth to her child at a refugee camp. Now, she helps children in education.

Leaving behind loved ones, they trekked tumultuous terrain as a family in hopes they could find food to survive - another month. Today, they are our neighbors.

They all were hungry and all found sanctuary at the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. “These individuals have overcome adversity most of us could never fathom and now are active citizens in our community, sharing the hopes and dreams we all have for this community,” CMCF President Steve Joul said. “They are a testament to not only what the human spirit can endure, but what it can achieve.”

The Dadaab Refugee Camp now faces one of the world’s greatest crises. More than 30,000 children have died in the past 90 days and another 12 million people are starving due to the worst drought in 60 years, according to World Help.

The Central Minnesota community has a close connection to the camp at the center of this devastating famine at the Horn of Africa. The St. Cloud area is home to many Somali immigrants who once stayed at the camp or know someone who has.

“The thousands of people, mostly children, starving to death in southern Somalia is more than a tragedy that is happening a world away. It’s personal. It affects the family and friends of area residents. It could have been them,” Joul said.

The camp, built for 90,000 individuals, now serves 500,000 with 1,500 more people arriving daily. The camp is filled with mass graves and malnourished children. There is not enough water to meet basic needs, let alone food. “I’ve never seen a crisis in the world where so little could do so much,” World Help President Vernon Brewer said from the camp. “…These people do not deserve to live like this.” View video of the camp.

Focused on meeting one the most basic human needs, Kids Against Hunger of Central Minnesota is organizing a one-day packaging event to provide a half a million meals to the camp. To date, $10,000 has been raised, including $5,000 from the Central Minnesota Community Foundation and $2,500 from the United Way of Central Minnesota. Find out how you can get involved on the left.

"This is a great opportunity for us to come together as a community for a good cause," Joul said.