The Hunger & Thirst Field of Interest Fund is one of the original funds established in 2019. Since its inception, it has made 81 grants totaling $993,845. It is inspired by Matthew 25: “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink.”
This fund’s goal is to help Moravian congregations, fellowships, emerging ministries, and agencies answer the call to care for those who do not have enough to eat or drink or face food and water insecurity.
The Hunger & Thirst Field of Interest Fund is one of the most popular with donors and applicants. Below is the list of the Hunger & Thirst Field of Interest Fund grant recipients:
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Purpose | Year |
| Palm Beach Moravian Church | West Palm Beach, FL | $18,200 | Feeding local homeless community by providing snacks or a cooked meal with clothing and toiletries each Friday, and on special holidays. | 2024 |
| Rolling Hills Moravian Church | Longwood, FL | $27,800 | Reaching, feeding, and clothing homeless individuals in local Florida community through a soup kitchen, snack & water packages, and a food pantry. | 2024 |
| Eastmorland Community Center | Madison, W | $25,000 | Providing weekend food bags, healthy classroom snacks, and a mobile food pantry to low-income students and households. | 2024 |
| Christ Moravian Church | Winston-Salem, NC | $3,000 | Replenishing and restocking their Blessing Box. | 2024 |
| Hopewell Moravian Church | Winston-Salem, NC | $1,400 | Addressing student food insecurity and teacher wellbeing at Parkland Highschool through Student of the Month breakfasts, teacher appreciation week, and Walmart gift cards for students in emergency situations. | 2024 |
| Lake Auburn Moravian Church | Lake Auburn, MN | $3,200 | Producing healthy soup-starter meals for local low-income families. | 2024 |
| Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation | Clemmons, NC | $38,000 | Sending food, water, medical supplies, farming tools, clothing, and water purification systems to Cuba in container shipments. | 2024 |
| Home Moravian Church | Winston-Salem, NC | $15,200 | Moravian Church in Albania’s Bathore Project to feed hungry people | 2023 |
| Hope Moravian Church | Hope, IN | $5,000 | Meal site ministry | 2023 |
| Chaska Moravian Church | Chaska, MN | $13,000 | Kitchen improvements for monthly community meals | 2023 |
| Calvary Moravian Church | Allentown, PA | $3,500 | Partnership in feeding the hungry with the Lehigh Conference of Churches’ kitchen program | 2023 |
| Iglesia Esperanza for Bethlehem | Bethlehem, PA | $2,000 | Food/meals for those the ministry serves | 2023 |
| Friedberg Moravian Church | Winston-Salem, NC | $10,000 | Weekend meals for food insecure students | 2023 |
| New Philadelphia Moravian Church | Winston-Salem, NC | $25,000 | Cancer Benevolence Program: targeting patients experiencing food insecurity | 2023 |
| Christ Moravian Church | Calgary, Alberta Canada | $18,000 | Food pantry inventory | 2023 |
| Sunnyside Ministry | Winston-Salem, NC | $10,000 | Food pantry inventory | 2023 |
| Moravian Open Door | New York, NY | $25,000 | Healthy breakfast program for guests of the shelter | 2023 |
| Little Church on the Lane | Charlotte, NC | $10,000 | Refugee community meals | 2023 |
| Samaritan Ministries | Winston-Salem, NC | $25,000 | Soup kitchen program | 2023 |
| Olivet Moravian Church | Winston-Salem, NC | $1,500 | Blessing box inventory | 2023 |
| East Hills Moravian Church | Bethlehem, PA | $25,000 | Raised garden beds to enhance freezer ministry, freezer/refrigeration units, supplies | 2023 |
| South Branch Regional Council of Churches | Southern Province: Advent, Community Fellowship, Hope, Hopewell, and Konnoak Hills congregations. | $6,000 | Rise Against Hunger meal packing events | 2023 |
| Fairview Moravian Church | Winston-Salem, NC | $13,500 | Mobile food and clothing pantry | 2023 |
| Tricklebee Cafe | Milwaukee, WI | $23,000 | Hot box, hand mixer, jar lids, year’s supply of food | 2023 |
| United Moravian Church | New York, NY | $14,000 | Food and supplies for community meals | 2023 |
| You Belong | Green Bay, WI | $12,500 | You Belong Cafe | 2023 |
| The Dwelling | Winston-Salem, NC | $18,000 | Feeding ministry | 2023 |
| Board of World Mission | Bethlehem, PA | $25,000 | Blessings Flow clean water/filtration initiative in La Mosquita | 2023 |
| West Salem Moravian Church | West Salem, IL | $2,800 | Provide hot meals three days a week to children while school is out for the summer | 2022 |
| Kernersville Moravian Church | Kernersville, NC | $12,000 | Provide meals and fellowship to individuals from different economic statuses | 2022 |
| First Moravian Church | Greensboro, NC | $8,000 | Servants’ Community Garden | 2022 |
| East Hills Moravian Church | Bethlehem, PA | $29,500 | Replacement equipment for freezer ministry, freezer outposts | 2022 |
| New Beginnings Moravian Church | Huntersville, NC | $3,000 | Replace the Little Free Pantry Blessing Box and restock | 2022 |
| Moravian Open Door | New York, NY | $15,000 | Continue funding for Healthy Breakfast Program | 2022 |
| City With Dwellings | Winston-Salem, NC | $24,800 | Develop Project CHEFF to promote healthy habits and overcome nutritional challenges inherent in homelessness or recently housed populations | 2022 |
| Anthony’s Plot | Winston-Salem, NC | Up to $30,000 | Remodel and upgrade the community kitchen at Central Terrace United Methodist Church | 2022 |
| New Herrnhut Moravian Church | St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands | $5,000 | Expand current Sunday morning breakfast program that provides a meal to those who are hungry/less fortunate | 2022 |
| Greater Things Outreach Center | Lexington, NC | $15,600 | Purchase canned food items | 2022 |
| Samaritan Ministries | Winston-Salem, NC | $15,000 | Support existing Soup Kitchen ministry | 2022 |
| Friedberg Moravian Church | Winston-Salem, NC | $3,000 | Stock items in the Blessing Box | 2022 |
| Bethabara Moravian Church Board of World Mission | Winston-Salem, NC Bethlehem, PA | $10,000 $25,000 | Food pantry for those who are food insecure, stock the pantry Infant feeding program at Ahaus Clinic, Honduras | 2022 2022 |
| John Hus Moravian Church | New York, NY | $1,000 | Provide healthy food for community | 2021 |
| The Dwelling | Winston-Salem, NC | $1,500 | Community meals after worship | 2021 |
| Armando Rusindo Mission Foundation | Winston-Salem, NC | $1,000 | Build a food-producing greenhouse in Cuba | 2021 |
| Unity Women’s Desk | Winston-Salem, NC | $1,500 | Provide meals to children in Honduras | 2021 |
| Grace Moravian Church | New York, NY | $1,000 | Supply food pantry | 2021 |
| New Beginnings Moravian Church | Huntersville, NC | $2,000 | Water meter, tap installed at community garden | 2021 |
| East Hills Moravian Church | Bethlehem, PA | $1,600 | Replace equipment needed for ministry | 2021 |
| Grace Moravian Church | Mt. Airy, NC | $1,000 | Feed the hungry and provide fellowship | 2021 |
Special One-Time Winter Grant Cycle, 2022
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Purpose | Year |
| Estamos Unidos Moravian Ministry | Winston-Salem, NC | $1,000 | Provide meal to teens who come to monthly program | 2022 |
| Raleigh Moravian Church | Raleigh, NC | $1,440 | Monthly breakfast for guests of Oak City Cares | 2022 |
| First Moravian Church | Greensboro, NC | $19,430 | Establish community garden: lot prep, garden construction, tools, storage, planting | 2022 |
| East Hills Moravian Church | Bethlehem, PA | $15,000 | 10-burner non-pilot light stove to support Bethlehem Area Moravians’ freezer ministry | 2022 |
| Bethabara Moravian Church | Winston-Salem, NC | $1,725 | Upgrade refrigerator/freezer for food pantry | 2022 |
| You Belong | Green Bay, WI | $12,000 | Establish a community garden program: garden, classes, meals | 2022 |
| The Dwelling | Winston-Salem, NC | $25,000 | “Pay-as-you-can” food truck | 2022 |
| Anthony’s Plot | Winston-Salem, NC | $29,000 | Freedom School lunches and cook, neighborhood meals, lending library, cooking items, annual community meal. | 2022 |
| Moravian Board of World Mission | Bethlehem, PA | $25,000 | Infant feeding program at Ahaus Clinic, Honduras | 2022 |
| Home Moravian Church | Winston-Salem, NC | $25,000 | Food for 45 families in Bathore, Albania | 2022 |
| Tricklebee Cafe | Milwaukee, WI | $25,000 | Refrigerator, cookbook publishing, kitchen and garden intern stipends, snack bag supplies, lawn grading and stage construction. | 2022 |
| Sunnyside Ministry | Winston-Salem, NC | 26,500 | Food pantry: boxes, cereal, crackers, frozen meat | 2022 |
| Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture | Boone, NC | $25,000 | Double Bucks program: 1:1 match for federal benefits spent at farmer’s markets, personnel, promotion | 2022 |
| Rio Terrace | Edmonton, AB Canada | $20,150 | Establish community kitchen: infrastructure improvements, food, supplies, marketing, outreach/education | 2022 |
| Moravian Open Door | New York, NY | $50,000 | Healthy breakfast program: food, personnel, creation of emergency food assistance fund | 2022 |
| Bethlehem Community Cafe Hope Center | Bethlehem, PA Albion, IL | $50,000 $10,000 | Establish a “pay-what-you-can” community cafe in Bethlehem Freezer, refrigerator, food for food pantry | 2022 2022 |
Read stories about Hunger & Thirst Fund grant recipients:
Community garden flourishes to fight hunger. First Moravian Church, Greensboro, NC
A beacon of hope. The Hope Center, Albion, IL
What’s cooking at Essentials Cafe?
Estamos Unidos shares more than a meal
Welcoming all to Tricklebee Cafe
Bethabara Food Pantry provides needed support
The freezer is always open in Bethlehem
Grant provides food security at Sunnyside
Breakfast at Moravian Open Door
Anthony’s Plot builds community
Blue Ridge Women In Agriculture
First Moravian Church, Greensboro, NC