According to Feeding America, in 2020 at least 60 million people received food from food banks, food pantries, and other private charitable food programs. However, thanks to the overwhelming public and private response to hunger in the United States, in its recent Household Food Security in the United States in 2020 report, the USDA shared that overall food insecurity rates did not increase last year. This proves that we know and have what it takes to address hunger in our country. Will we?
Consider these facts from Bruce Deboskey in his article Simple Questions to Ask about the Ongoing Problem of Food Insecurity in the U.S.:
- The amount of food being distributed by Feeding America’s partner food banks remains more than 55% above pre-pandemic levels.
- In 2020, over 38 million Americans (11.8%) lived in households that struggled with food insecurity, or a lack of access to an affordable, nutritious diet.
- 1 in 7 (14.8%) of households with children could not buy enough food to adequately feed their families.
Utilizing Feeding America’s tool that identifies the percentage of children who are experiencing food insecurity in the United States, we learned that 14.6% of children in the counties where there are Moravian congregations were going hungry in 2019 (12% in the Western District, 14% in the Eastern District, and 17.8% in the Southern Province).
Deboskey goes on to ask, “What is our responsibility to do more to help others who are food-insecure in the places in which we live? What opportunities do we have to help ensure that everyone in our communities has access to sufficient food for every meal, every day?”
Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40) So let’s get started!
Your Moravian Ministries Foundation in America (MMFA) is excited to announce a special 2022 grant cycle for our Hunger & Thirst Field of Interest Fund. Thanks to an incredibly generous donation, we have an extraordinary opportunity to award grants from $10,000 to $25,000 to Moravian congregations, fellowships, emerging ministries, or agencies who want to create lasting change within the food and water insecurity landscape. Non-Moravian ministries are also invited to apply. For more information on how to apply visit https://www.mmfa.com/grant/ or reach out to Laura Watson 336.725-2589 or lwatson@mmfa.info.
