A plea was also issued for 12,000 newborn kits, which include clothing, diapers, blankets and soap for shipment to North Korea early in 2001. And the churches have responded. There is yet another angle to MCC interaction with North Korea. July 5 marked the first time that MCC offices in Akron, Penn., hosted an ambassador from North Korea, a country long presented as an enemy to the United States. Ambassador Li was there with a specific interest in learning about potato production.
Potatoes are a particularly valuable crop in Korea where they are used to make noodles and soup.
The background and expertise of MCC constituency are of interest to him, and he spent time on a potato farm during his visit. While feeding all of the world's hungry in one day may be above the wildest expectation, feeding the 25,000 or more who visit the fairgrounds on relief sale day also provides a formidable challenge for a group of lowly grassroots volunteers. But they do come through, carrying out their task with both precision and dedication. Also before the sale, volunteers have gathered at Hillsboro to make verenika, at Moundridge to make bohne beroggi, at Inman to make pluma moos and cherry moos, and at Whitewater to make more cherry moos. Noodle making also brings various groups together.