Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church associate pastor Kenneth (Ken) J. Brown understands that he could never eliminate world hunger.

What he can tackle, though, is raising money to feed 300 hungry children in Haiti for one year for roughly $30,000. That translates to 35 cents a meal.

On Oct. 24, Brown, the new president of Noon Kiwanis Club; Jack Reynolds and Roger Bates will travel to Pwoje Espwa (Project Hope) near Les Cayes, Haiti.

Reynolds founded Free the Kids, a non-profit organization to financially support the school and orphanage.

Bates, of Christ’s Church of Fountain Hills, has been involved in charitable projects, including welcoming Hurricane Katrina evacuees from New Orleans to town in 2007.

Bates and Brown attended the same high school in Livonia, Michigan, nine years apart, and met here through Noon Kiwanis Club.

Reynolds’ brother-in-law, Catholic priest Father Marc Boisvert, operates Pwoje Espwa, where Hurricane Matthew extensively demolished roofs, agricultural crops and infrastructure.

Brown says he couldn’t live with himself knowing that youngsters are without food while he could do something to remedy the situation.

“Eliminating world hunger is way over my pay grade. I don’t know how to tackle that problem. But feeding 350 hungry children in Haiti seems do-able and I have volunteered to lead the charge to do what I can to raise the money to feed these children. I can’t live with myself if I don’t try to do it,” said Brown.

The infrastructure is already in place to get food to the country, through the ports and to the school.

Brown said his church is committed to donating $1,500 from its mission budget for the feeding program and will likely sponsor special offerings during Advent to supplement the amount.

Brown will challenge the community’s Ministerial Association representing other churches to contribute toward the project.

All donations will go into a restricted fund at Free the Kids and can’t be used for any other purpose, said Brown.

Brown traveled to Haiti in 2000 before an earthquake destroyed a major portion of homes and infrastructure. Reynolds first visited his brother-in-law in 1998 after Father Marc started the orphanage and has returned every couple of years.

Reynolds talked about women baking cookies made of dirt mixed with spices and baked in the sun to fill the children’s stomachs.

“I was touched for these children who had nothing to be joyful about except their faith. I returned home to New Jersey (at that time) and started Free the Kids, originally named Theo’s Work,” said Reynolds. “The children are a joy and our mission is to care and educate them in preparation for adulthood and to be leaders in their own country.”

Three hundred children are in residence and 1,000 attend the school.

The local men will take more than 300 girls’ dresses and boys’ shorts made by home schoolers, members of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Christ’s Church and Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church and Dress-a-Girl workshop participants.

“As a result of this trip, these kids will have names and faces…faces that I suspect I will never forget. Faces that will haunt me until I see this project through to completion. Faces of kids who I believe that God has called me to serve to the best of my ability and to marshal an effort to make a dramatic and positive difference in their lives,” said Brown.

Brown can be contacted at kenjbrown@aol.com or 480-268-3731. The best way to reach Reynolds is jhrtheoswork@aol.com. The website is freethekids.org.