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HungerActions
"Jesus said, You give them something to eat."




Hunger Basics
Source: Bread for the World - www.bread.org

More than 800 million people in the world go hungry.

In developing countries, 6 million children die each year, mostly from hunger-related causes.

In the United States, 12 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. That means one in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger


Domestic Hunger & Poverty Facts

Hunger persists in the U.S.
*  33.6 million people—including almost 13 million children—live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents approximately one in ten households in the United States (10.7 percent).

People facing hunger are increasingly turning to the Food Stamp Program for assistance in feeding their families.
* Following years of decline, participation in the food stamp program has been on the rise over the past two years. In August 2002 (the last month for which data are available) 19.7 million people participated in the food stamp program. March 2002 was the first month since July 1998 in which the number of food stamp participants exceeded 19 million.

Churches and charities are straining to serve rising requests for food from their pantries and soup kitchens, especially from working people.
* The U.S. Conference of Mayors reports that in 2002 requests for emergency food assistance increased an average of 19 percent. The study also found that 48 percent of those requesting emergency food assistance were members of families with children and that 38 percent of adults requesting such assistance were employed. High housing costs, low-paying jobs, unemployment, and the economic downturn led the list of reasons contributing to the rise.
* America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest network of food banks, reports that 23.3 million people turned to the agencies they serve in 2001, an increase of over 2 million since 1997. Forty percent were from working families.

International Facts on Hunger and Poverty

* More than 840 million people in the world are malnourished—799 million of them are from the developing world. More than 153 million of them are under the age of 5.
* 6 million children under the age of 5 die every year as a result of hunger.
* Of the 6.2 billion people in today's world, 1.2 billion live on less than $1 per day.
* The richest 5 percent of the world's people have incomes 114 times that of the poorest 5 percent.
* Virtually every country in the world has the potential of growing sufficient food on a sustainable basis. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has set the minimum requirement for caloric intake per person per day at 2,350. Worldwide, there are 2,805 calories available per person per day.
* Fifty-four countries fall below that requirement; they do not produce enough food to feed their populations, nor can they afford to import the necessary commodities to make up the gap. Most of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.


But we CAN end hunger.

We have the means. The financial costs to end hunger are relatively slight. The United Nations Development Program estimates that the basic health and nutrition needs of the world's poorest people could be met for an additional $13 billion a year. Animal lovers in the United States and Europe spend more than that on pet food each year.

What makes the difference between millions of hungry people and a world where all are fed?


Only a change in priorities. Only the will to end hunger.

Want to learn more? Bread for the World Institute collects facts on domestic hunger, global hunger, and debt relief. It also generates answers to frequently asked questions about hunger. Or you can learn about what issues Bread for the World members are working on right now to bring an end to hunger in the U.S. and around the world. You can also get involved or write a letter to your member of Congress.
 
Where does it go?
Presbytery Hunger Funds at work!

Since the beginning of 2003, we have received Thank You notes from these programs for your generous support through the 4 cents a meal programs of your churches.
Valley Mission - Staunton.  Provides food as well as shelter, clothing and other essential needs to those in need. Our support allowed the Valley Mission to direct other funds to other needs while using our $1,400 for feeding those at the shelter.
Kingsway Help Center - Steeles Tavern.  "Thank you so much for your generous check of $1,400 to feed the hungry people we serve at the Kingsway Help Center. We distribute food to about 450 people each month. The amount of government food available to us has been very low the last few months and we have had to buy much more to be able to give each family a nice grocery basket. Your support is much needed and very much appreciated."
Loaves and Fishes - Martinsburg.  "We cannot thank the Presbytery enough.  Your gift of $1,950 this past winter was extremely needed. Our Food Bank was used by the families in our area twice as much as in the past..  So thanks for helping us serve God as we feed the hungry in Berkeley County.
Jefferson County Community Ministries - Charles Town, WV.  Jane Bowers, Executive Director, reports that our contribution of $ 1,400 helped their ministry make a positive impact on their community.  With our help and the help of other churches, organizations and individuals, they assisted over 2,400 families in need in 2002.  That is an increase of 400 families in 2002, which is astonishing and could have been alarming.  But with the help of these funds, they have been able to keep up with the demands so far. Thanks, again, for your generosity.
Joint Ministry Project Helps Hungry

    Smyrna Presbyterian Church near Waynesboro has participated in the 2/4 Cents-A-Meal program since it began in 1984.  Our offering is collected once a month on the 4th Sunday and has averaged approximately $2,000.00 per year.  Our philosophy has been “If we, who have so much, would give a very small offering each time we have a meal, we could provide a great deal of relief to hungry people in our community and around the world.”
   During this time Smyrna has also provided space, leadership and support for a Food Pantry that serves residents of northeast Augusta County.  This is a joint ministry of Smyrna, two United Methodist churches and one Brethren church.  The Pantry is open one Monday each month and serves as many as 18 families.  Items for distribution are contributed by members of the participating churches or are purchased at the Verona Food Bank with funds from special offerings and other donations.
    Through the years one shortcoming of the Food Pantry has been the lack of meat items for distribution to the families.  In December, Smyrna collected a special Christmas Offering to establish a “Meat” Fund for the Pantry.  Also, our distribution of the 4-Cents-A-Meal Offering was changed to designate 25% of each monthly offering for this fund in order to insure a continuous source of income.   from Millie Hiner, Smyrna Presbyterian Church
Where does it go?
Presbytery Hunger Funds at work!

Tembisa Child Academy
    The story begins when Trinity Church youth attending Montreat in 1997 befriended Maake Masango from Johannesburg, South Africa. Maake is a pastor at a church in Alexandra near Johannesburg and teaches at the seminary in Pretoria. In 1998, Maake accepted an invitation to visit his new friends at Trinity, whom he later invited to visit him in South Africa. After planning and studying for a year, members of Trinity visited Maake's churches in 1999, staying with his gracious church people who opened up their homes to them.
    While there, they met Isaac Mahlatsi, Director of the Tembisa Child Academy and an Elder in the Alexandra church, who told of his struggle to get the property and funds to build a school for young children. Several Trinity members were able to visit the school and were impressed with what he was trying to do there. Since their visit, Trinity has sent funds for Isaac's use as have Wray and Marty Sherman of Hermitage Church who went along on our trip.
    Many of the parents who had children in his school are unemployed and can no longer keep them there. The Child Academy has about 120 children this year. As Maake wrote in an email: "They used to have 300. The problem is that people are unemployed. As a result they no longer sent their children. The money you sent (from Presbytery Hunger Funds) was used for food."
    When Maake was asked what other needs there might be, he added "The other needs are in terms of resources that are used for teaching. I know that the teachers use some of the papers several times. Reading materials, and things that may be helpful for kindergarten."
    The Tembisa Child Academy received support from Presbytery Hunger funds in 2002.
Thanks to Pat Churchman, Trinity Church, for sharing this information
Where does it go?
Presbytery Hunger Funds at work!

    In 2002, the Presbytery distributed $ 96,611 from the 4-cents-a-meal offerings to a wide variety of programs.  All of the programs receiving portions of this fund were reported in the January newsletter. Here's how some of the monies were used.
Illubabor Bethel Synod: $44,750 went to the Synod for direct famine relief.  A statement from the Ecumenical and Mission Partnerships division of PC(USA) Worldwide Ministries, requests acknowledgment of receipt of the money and confirmation that it is being used exactly for the purpose for which it is designated. We do help ease hunger with this support.
Lord Fairfax Area Food Bank - a branch of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank - $ 3,350 was sent to help support the programs of feeding the hungry through programs such as Holiday Hands Against Hunger, and Kids Cafe at 68 sites feeding 2,300 low-income children throughout Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.  The Food Banks were challenged this year to provide 25% more food with 25% less donated food than in previous years.
Church Food Pantry Programs - $ 13,500 was sent to six church food pantries within the Presbytery to support their programs for feeding the hungry in their local communities.
Bread for the World - $ 2,249 was sent in support of their programs of advocacy for the hungry around the world. Bread for the World activists continue to press for legislative provisions that will maintain benefits for the poor and hungry, increase child care support , and recognize the importance of education to ensure self-sufficiency for families especially in a weak economy.